By Daoud Kuttab

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza this week coincided with one of the worst periods in Jordan’s history.Protesters, angry with the price hike of energy products, were more violent and protests larger and more widespread than the Kingdom ever witnessed.

Faced with these unprecedented and extensive demonstrations, Jordan’s security personnel were spread very thin, leaving some sectors of the country vulnerable.

It is a well-known fact that populations voluntarily agree to be governed, but when this natural loyalty is shaken, it is very difficult to do so. In the absence of the rule of law a vacuum is created and at times, hooligans and criminals fill this vacuum. Continue Reading »

By Daoud Kuttab

Nowhere are the grievances that perpetuate violence and war more evident than they are in Palestine today. But the world’s politicians continue to dance around the problem, rather than confront it. The recent deadly violence in Gaza is only the latest proof that people living under occupation and siege need a political horizon, and not simply a cease-fire: the case for an independent state of Palestine has never been so compelling as it is today.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to proceed with plans to seek a vote this week on recognition of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly has come despite pressure, promises and threats from Israel and some of its Western allies. Rather than pursuing the UN route the Palestinians, according to these interlocutors, should continue to depend on asymmetrical negotiations that have served as little more than a photo opportunity. Continue Reading »

By Daoud Kuttab

The asymmetrical violence against the people of Gaza has again forced regional and international players to consider what to do about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. When Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, and his wife visited a Gaza hospital with Arab ministers, they were confronted with the arrival of families whose loved ones had been killed by Israeli missiles.

Mr Davutoglu and the other ministers were brought to tears as they were confronted with the human costs of the conflict, and they promised to do what they could to end this tragedy. Continue Reading »