Archive for February, 2012

Feb 23 2012

#KhaderAdnan: A selfless Palestinian hero

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

by Daoud Kuttab PNN FEBR 23 2012

It might have been a small gesture, but it spoke volumes. After Khader Adnan, the Palestinian administrative detainee in his 66th day of hunger strike, agreed to end his strike he refused to eat until all fellow hunger striking Palestinians are informed about such decision.

Speaking on Voice of Palestine, Adnan Mussa, Khader’s father, said his son would not eat until he was assured that his decision to end the hunger strike was transmitted to the hundreds of fellow Palestinian prisoners who were on a solidarity hunger strike with him. Continue Reading »

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Feb 22 2012

Palestinian unity likely to be real this time

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

Palestinian reconciliation took a major step forward recently following an agreement that included President Mahmoud Abbas taking on the additional position of prime minister. Continue Reading »

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Feb 18 2012

Did Hamas Cave-in for Practical or Financial Reasons or Both?

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

 

By Daoud Kuttab

After months of hibernation, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict seems to be getting more attention of late. Despite the volatility of the situation in Syria and Egypt the most recent agreement reached in the Qatari capital received a lot of media attention. It also seems to have touched a number of political nerves, especially within the Hamas movement in Gaza.

While the agreement in Doha was not the first public display of reconciliation between leaders of the largest Palestinian factions, many felt that this time, the agreement was for real. Why? Continue Reading »

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Feb 12 2012

Text of my interview on NPR re Doha reconciliation

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio (R)
All Rights Reserved

National Public Radio
SHOW: All Things Considered 09:00 PM EST
February 8, 2012 Wednesday
737 words
Hamas, Palestinians Sign Unity Agreement
Daoud Kuttab
ROBERT SIEGEL: Events in Syria have also influenced the Palestinians. The external leadership of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has been based in the Syrian capital, Damascus. But with Syrian Islamists rebelling against the Assad regime, Hamas and its leader there, Khaled Meshal, are now looking for a new home. Meshal has traveled recently to Jordan and to Qatar, and he’s reached a political truce with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the rival Palestinian movement, Fatah. They’ve agreed to Abbas leading an interim government until elections this year.
Well, to sort out what all that may mean for the Palestinians and for the larger region, we turn now to Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab, who’s in the Jordanian capital, Amman. Welcome to the program once again.
DAOUD KUTTAB: Thank you, Robert.
ROBERT SIEGEL: First, there have been truces between the big Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas before, and they’ve fallen apart. Is this one any different?
DAOUD KUTTAB: Yes, this one is different. They have been deadlocked for months about who will be the interim prime minister until there’s elections in May. And the Fatah movement wanted Salam Fayyad, and the Islamists didn’t want Salam Fayyad. So the idea that Mahmoud Abbas, who has announced that he will not run for any elections anymore, as the interim prime minister as well as the president seems to be a good and kind of compromise.
ROBERT SIEGEL: Now, Fatah’s truce with Hamas has led Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu to warn Mahmoud Abbas you can’t have peace both with Israel and with Hamas which refuses to accept Israel’s existence. Hamas leaders still oppose talks with Israel. Their charter remains very anti-Israel, even parts of it anti-Semitic. Do this smoke signal any change within Hamas?
DAOUD KUTTAB: Hamas has been softening its position for some time. They’ve indirectly accepted Israel on the ’67 Borders, and they’ve announced that that they are no longer going to try to liberate the West Bank and Gaza through violent means but through nonviolent means. So they have been easing off on the radical rhetoric. But in the interim period, there is no Hamas members who are going to be in the new government.
ROBERT SIEGEL: One reading of Mahmoud Abbas’ move here is that this might cost him the prospect of any progress toward a deal with Israel. But there’s no progress anyway, so why not proceed? Is that an accurate reading?
DAOUD KUTTAB: That’s absolutely true, and that’s an accurate reading. There is nothing going on in the prospect of the negotiations. Israel still refuses to suspend their settlement building. They have refused to declare clearly where they think the borders should be for the Palestinians State. And until the election cycle continues in Israel and the U.S. in this year, nobody expects major changes.
ROBERT SIEGEL: If, in fact, Hamas is not as close today to Syria as it was fairly recently, and not as close to Iran as it was until recently, does that mean that the campaign against Iran – the sanctions against Iran, the alliance of Sunni Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia along with the United States against Iran – that that’s having some effect on the Palestinian movement?
DAOUD KUTTAB: I think, certainly, the reconciliation with Fatah has improved. And the fact that Hamas is the one who nominated Mahmoud Abbas to be the head of the interim government are signs that Hamas is softening its position and aligning itself more with the Gulf countries rather than Iran.
ROBERT SIEGEL: Which gives some sense of what their reading of the near-term future might be in the region.
DAOUD KUTTAB: Yeah. I think Syria is no longer a reasonably safe headquarters for them. I mean, it’s a kind of a win and loss, because they are losing Syria as a capital, but they’re also winning friends in the Islamist movements in different countries, including possibly Syria but also Egypt and other countries. So it’s a bag of mixed blessings in the sense that they have probably more friends and leadership in the Arab world, but in return, they would have to kind of cut off their relationship with Iran to keep those friends happy.
ROBERT SIEGEL: Daoud Kuttab, thank you very much for talking with us once again.
DAOUD KUTTAB: You’re welcome.
ROBERT SIEGEL: Daoud Kuttab is director general of Pen Media, that’s a Palestinian media NGO. He’s based in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
February 9, 2012

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Feb 11 2012

Myth Debunked: Palestinian Textbooks Don’t Teach Hatred

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

 

 

By Daoud Kuttab

Apologists for Israel’s continued occupation and control over Palestinian lives have long contended Israel is more interested in peace than the Palestinians. One exaggerated argument, repeatedly put forward to justify military rule, is that Palestinians teach their children to hate Jews.

Politicians in the U.S., especially during election campaigns, find that bashing Palestinians has no downside and yields a vote (and donation) jackpot. Continue Reading »

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Feb 09 2012

The Many titles of a man

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

following appeared in the Jordan Times today

The Many titles of a man

by Daoud Kuttab

Unlike his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, the current Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is not known for hoarding power or being authoritarian. Abbas will most likely end his revolutionary/professional career in retirement and not in a direct struggle with his enemies.

But in spite of his power-sharing style of management, Abbas finds himself this week with more titles than most countries have in ministries. He is the chairman of the PLO’s executive committee, the president of the Palestinian Authority, the commander of the Palestinian armed forces and security services, the prime minister of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the head of the Fateh movement. Continue Reading »

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Feb 02 2012

Open season on Palestinians

Published by under Articles,Palestinian politics

following appeared this morning in the Jordan Times

by Daoud Kuttab | Feb 02,2012

Apologists for Israel’s continued occupation and control over Palestinian lives have long contended that Israel is more interested in peace than the Palestinians. One exaggerated argument, repeatedly put forward to justify military rule, is that Palestinians teach their children to hate Jews.

Politicians in the US, especially during election campaigns, find that bashing Palestinians has no downside and, moreover, yields a vote (and donation) jackpot.

Palestinian textbooks are scrutinised for any hostile reference to Israel — or praise of Palestinian nationalism — and every frame broadcast on Palestinian television stations is analysed by experts to see if it contains any incitement to violence. Continue Reading »

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