Feb
20
2014
Following appeared in the Jordan Times
By Daoud Kuttab
Jordan succeeded this week to force the Israeli Knesset to cancel a discussion planned for Tuesday regarding Al Aqsa Mosque.
The public debate was initiated by the deputy speaker of the Israeli legislature, Moshe Feiglen, and was intended to focus on the issue of sovereignty over the third holiest place in Islam.
Rightwing Israelis want to remove any non-Israeli control over the mosque area.
Al Haram Al Sharif, built in the seventh century, is a walled area that spans 144 dunums and includes two mosques (the silver-domed Al Aqsa Mosque and the gold-covered Dome of the Rock), as well as court areas, an Islamic museum, a Sharia Islamic court and other facilities.
The cancellation of the Israeli Knesset session followed what appeared to be a well-orchestrated public, private and governmental approach.
Jordan’s Parliament got the ball rolling initially, with a strong statement by its Palestine committee threatening to cancel the Israeli-Jordan treaty if the status of the revered Islamic site is changed.
Jordan’s treaty with Israel clearly specifies the Hashemite Kingdom’s unique role in protecting the status of holy shrines in Jerusalem. Furthermore, a Palestinian-Jordanian agreement that recognises Palestinian sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem accepts the role of the Hashemites as guardians of Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. Continue Reading »
Feb
20
2014
By Daoud Kuttab
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators might have stumbled across two powerful weapons that could help them convince their publics to support a compromise peace agreement — political exhaustion and apathy.
While the issues surrounding the peace talks, such as refugees and Jerusalem, are emotional triggers that easily move public opinion, the parties to the decades-old conflict appear to be slogging through a period of political fatigue. Hot button items that would usually bring crowds into the streets and force politicians to backtrack are not producing these effects.
On the Israeli side, the public is enjoying an unprecedented calm in terms of security, and an economic boom has made many Israelis seeming apathetic to the comings and goings of politicians and negotiators. On the Palestinian side, the continued occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands, coupled with the implosion of major Arab countries, seem to have had a discouraging effect on the public mood.
The reaction to the conciliatory speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to a group of 300 Israeli students on Feb. 16 is a perfect example of how this exhaustion is playing out. A review of media reactions and interviews with opinion makers illustrates this point. Continue Reading »
Feb
20
2014
By Daoud Kuttab
When Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met with 300 Israeli university students in Ramallah on Feb. 16, he accomplished more than one goal. He simultaneously sent a powerful message of peace to the Israeli public while indicating to his own people, and the region as a whole, the areas where Palestinian negotiators are willing to compromise.
The visit, which had been planned for last December but was postponed for logistical reasons, was organized by One Voice, an international organization whose mission is to “amplify the voices of Palestinians and Israelis.†The students chosen to attend were selected from 1,000 applicants who had written essays about why they would like to meet with the Palestinian leader.
Among the most highly quoted statements was Abbas’ insistence that he does not plan to “drown” Israel with refugees. This statement came after Labor Party Knesset member Hilik Bar, born in Safad, invited the Palestinian leader to visit his birthplace as a “tourist.â€Â Abbas had previously said that he has no plans to return to the city where he was born.
In his talk to the Israeli students, Abbas covered almost all the issues of contention, including Jerusalem, water, borders, settlements, incitement to violence and recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. In his answers, the Palestinian leader was honest and persuasive. For example, he admitted without reservation or explanation that the Palestinian media and school books do include “incitement,” but argued that Israelis also “incite” against Palestinians. In order to deal with both, he argued, a third party, the United States, could be the judge as to what is and what is not considered incitement. Continue Reading »
Feb
20
2014
By Daoud Kuttab
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s days in office are numbered, according to reliable sources in the Muqata (headquarters). The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Al-Monitor that for a convergence of reasons they expect Hamdallah to be replaced by President Mahmoud Abbas within a month.
The addition of prime minister to Abbas’ set of titles — president of Palestine and chairman of the PLO — would be in accordance with the Doha Agreement reached with the Islamist movement Hamas in February 2012 and a prelude to possible presidential and parliamentary elections.
While the change of prime minister will most certainly be in compliance with the reconciliation agreement, other problems are brewing within the Palestinian leadership that may contribute to Hamdallah’s early departure.
A major dispute between the prime minister and Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mahmoud al-Habbash has received media attention. Habbash, who has extremely close ties to Abbas, angered Hamdallah regarding the status of income that is collected on behalf of the Islamic waqf. Habbash refused to turn over monies collected for rent of waqf properties, citing religious reasons. Continue Reading »
