Palestine papers reality shock for Arabs not for Palestinians
Palestinian cartoonist Khalil Abu Arafeh is no Fatah loyalist. In his early years he supported the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Abu Arafeh’s brother Khaled was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council on the pro Hamas Reform and Change List. Abu Arafeh’s political cartoons in the largest daily <em>Al Quds</em> are often […]
MY Int’l Herald Tribune column
We must speak out By Daoud Kuttab, International Herald Tribune For years, the Palestinian struggle for freedom and liberation from a foreign military occupation was criticized as two-faced. The late Yasser Arafat was dubbed a terrorist in sheep’s clothing; his attempts to simultaneously use military and political means to accomplish Palestinian goals were rejected by […]
Difficult position for the PA
By Daoud Kuttab The choices facing Palestinian leaders as they try to navigate their responsibilities while the 44-year-long Israeli occupation continues are difficult. Some Palestinian activists of the Islamic Hamas movement were detained by the Abbas-Fayyad government in a general crackdown against armed resistance movements that sees attempts by the Palestinian Authority to apply the […]
2010 Was a Year of Mixed Blessings for Palestinians
After the strong beginnings of 2009, during the Obama administration’s first days in office, 2010 began on a cautious note on the Palestinian cause. There were some promising signs: the Israeli government partially froze its settlement activities; indirect talks commenced and there was hope that in one crucial area all seemed all in agreement, the […]
Now That the Carrot Has Not Worked Against Israel
At the beginning of the latest US-Israel crisis over the issue of the settlement freeze, the Americans considered both carrot and stick to “encourage” the Israelis to do the right thing, in accordance with international law. Among the incentives that special adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Dennis Ross and company convinced the White […]
Jordan’s Parliament Off to a Good Start Despite Hiccups
Whatever else one can say about the speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, he is clearly a quick learner. The 16th Parliament was off to a rocky start a few weeks ago. While the choice of Faisal Fayez was sealed when all competitors withdrew their candidacy for the top spot, all other positions were hotly fought […]
Netanyahu’s Coalition Is Incapable of Making Peace
If the past three months have proved one thing, it is that the present Israeli government is not ready or willing to take the minimum steps needed for peace. By rejecting international consensus on the need for a temporary freeze of the illegal settlement activities in occupied territories, the ultra-right-wing Israeli government has shown it […]
‘Incapable of making peace’
By Daoud Kuttab If the past three months have proved one thing it is that the present Israeli government is not ready or willing to take the minimum steps needed for peace. By rejecting international consensus on the need for a temporary freeze of the illegal settlement activities in occupied territories, the ultra-rightwing Israeli government […]
Will We See WikiLeaks in Arabic Soon?
Nearly seven years ago, I met Danish journalist and freedom of media defender Jesper Hojberg in Amman Jordan and mentioned that we needed help in the Arab region with investigative journalism. Before long, Hojberg and his International Media Institute were able to help us translate this dream into a project that this week brought the […]
America’s Latest $3 Billion Bribe to Israel
The secret talks between US and Israeli officials, aimed at convincing the Israelis to change their position regarding the settlement freeze, started to smell more and more like a bribe, with some media reports calling it the $3 billion bribe. The amount is in reference to the cost of the 20 advanced US fighter planes […]