By Daoud Kuttab

The case of the hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoner Samer Issawi has returned to the spotlight one of the most notorious human rights violations by an occupying power: deportation. Israel has offered Issawi deportation rather than outright release, despite not being able to charge him or try him for a specific crime or infraction.

The idea of deporting a person from his or her country runs contrary to the very essence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates the right of humans to leave their country and return without restrictions. For decades, Israel, which controls all the borders of Palestine, has been able to literally throw people across the hermetically sealed borders and prevent them from returning.

These deportations are based on the 112th clause of the mandate-era British Emergency Regulations (1945). The Israeli Knesset rescinded applying the regulations to Israel in 1979, but they remain intact for occupied Palestine, which is under Israeli military control. Continue Reading »

By Daoud Kuttab

Before the Arab League summit ended its one-day deliberations Tuesday, Palestinians were already publicly skeptical about the effectiveness of Arabs in as far as their ability to do anything about Jerusalem.

Khalil Assali, a Jerusalemite, and one of the most consistent writers on Jerusalem, blasted Arab leaders for their repeated promises, but failures when it comes to the delivery of these promises. Assali’s latest column, which appeared on the Palestine News Network, Akhbar el-Balad radio and Ammannet online, recalled the many previous Arab summit promises on both the political and financial levels.

Assali says that of the $500 million pledged to Jerusalem in the Arab summit held in the Libyan town of Sirte in 2010, only $34 million made it to the Holy City. For Assali and his regular columns dedicated to Jerusalem, the problem is not about whether money reaches specific individuals as much as it is about institutions in Jerusalem that are deteriorating due to a lack of support. Continue Reading »