Category: Palestinian politics

(This was published in September 7th, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab A Palestinian state is coming — it’s just not clear whether it will result from the current peace talks. It is easy to be pessimistic, or even apathetic, about the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. History is a witness to the lack of Palestinian…

(This was published in September 1st, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab There is a chance that the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 will soon end and an independent Palestinian state will emerge. The direct peace talks taking place in Washington is a necessary step towards that goal, but it is not the only option that…

Under much international and Arab pressure, Palestinian leaders finally buckled and accepted to hold direct talks with Israel. Many Palestinians believe that the intended talks are nothing but a photo opportunity that aims to create the impression of a peace process while avoiding making any substantive commitments. In a season when images represent the narrative,…

In a season when images represent the narrative, a political cartoon in a Jordanian newspaper captured the Palestinian and Arab mood as the US and its allies pile on the Palestinian leader Mahmood Abbas, pressing him to hold direct talks with Israel simply for the purpose of a photo opportunity. Emad Hajjaj captured the moment…

Direct talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders are the most obvious way to achieve peace in the Middle East conflict. But history has shown time and again that a high-profile peace process alone is no recipe for success. The Arab League is set to meet later this month to advise the Palestinian leadership whether or…

The aim of this blog is not to pile it on the ADL, but to show that this organization that is expected to fight hate, discrimination and defamation, has little tolerance for the suffering of any group other than the Jewish population.

(This was published in July 26th, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab Over dinner in Bethlehem, a few weeks ago, I mentioned to my brother-in-law how Israel has strategically succeeded in cutting off the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. While agreeing with me, he wanted to talk about another problem: that of east Jerusalem being also…

(This was published in June 9th, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab One of the most repeated questions that was asked by many following the attack on the Gaza bound humanitarian flotilla was why did Israel do that? Why did a very powerful army and navy who can easily have controlled the situation in the high seas…

(This was published in June 7th, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab The Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound “Freedom Flotilla” has put the United States in a difficult position. But it has also given Washington an opening for a game-changing action. When ships on a humanitarian mission to the besieged Gaza Strip were violently confronted in international…

(This was published in May 31st, 2010) By Daoud Kuttab The Israeli violent attacks against the “Freedom Flotilla,” an international humanitarian mission to Gaza, reveals Israel’s attempts to solve their problems militarily irrespective of world opinion. Even without a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, any effort in this direction can’t be done with only…