Palestine, media, Jordan, community radio, online journalism
By Daoud Kuttab At all levels, the visit of Pope Francis to Jordan and Palestine was a huge success. For about 26 hours, everything was implemented as planned. And the few unplanned moments worked out quite well, leaving indelible memories and images. The Pope’s visit was billed as pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the…
By Daoud Kuttab Political analyst Rami Khouri gives two main causes for the anger that has brought Arabs to the streets: humiliation and the search of legitimacy. These sources are clear as Palestinians prepare for the visit of Pope Francis to Palestine as part of his Holy Land visit that also includes Jordan and Israel. The Palestinians are looking to Pope Francis to help legitimize their aspirations of…
By Daoud Kuttab Journalists are supposed to cover the news, not become the subject of it. This was the case, however, with two Israeli journalists who defied a request by Palestinian demonstrators not to film their bare faces. Most journalists in the field, especially photographers, know the feeling of angry demonstrators approaching a camera crew asking…
Daoud Kuttab Since the breakdown of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and the reconciliation agreement between the West Bank and Gaza leaderships, Palestinians have been considering an important question: Will the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) apply to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), and when would be the right time to do so? Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former chief ICC prosecutor, has said that UN recognition of Palestine as…
By Daoud Kuttab Mahmoud al-Ramahi is secretary-general of the Palestinian Legislative Council, an Italian-educated doctor and the father of five. Ever since taking this position after the Hamas electoral victory in 2006, he has suffered continued detention at the hands of Israeli occupation forces. He was last re-arrested in Nov. 12, 2012. He had been released five months earlier after…
By Daoud Kuttab Imagine being stopped at an Israeli checkpoint and being taken into custody. Then finding yourself in an Israeli jail for six months without charge or trial. After six months, the administrative order signed by a military commander is renewed. An Israeli military judge is presented a secret file which neither you nor…
By Daoud Kuttab A review of statements by Israeli officials and pundits in response to the Palestinian unity agreement suggests a sense of surprise at the Palestinians’ audacity. Israel’s underestimation of the Palestinian leadership is reflected in an arrogant attitude reminiscent of a colonizer-colonized relationship. Nearly five decades of occupation and colonization have left Israelis shocked when Palestinians take action…
By Daoud Kuttab The PLO-Hamas reconciliation agreement signed in the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on April 23 is forcing Palestinians everywhere to revisit their own divisions and start working together for the common Palestinian good. For years, Palestinians living outside the occupied territories have been divided over many fronts. Not only was the…
By Daoud Kuttab The dangers facing Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque finally appear to have elicited serious Arab reactions. The guests and comments of the organizers of a recent conference held in the Jordanian capital of Amman reflect a newfound seriousness. “The Road to Jerusalem” — held April 28-30 and organized by the World Islamic Sciences and Education University and Jordan’s Palestine…
By Daoud Kuttab Ever since the 2007 split that divided Palestinian rule between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Ramallah-based leadership has had three options to consider: using force, compromising or waiting for Hamas to capitulate. Israel, which was established and continues to exist through use of brutal force, has always recommended that Ramallah crush the Gaza-based Islamic insurgency. Israelis used…