Category: Palestinian politics

the following appeared in the Jordan Times   Bearing responsibility for causing the refugee problem       Daoud Kuttab   The harsh statement by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he would not allow a single Palestinian refugee to return to Israel did not bother me much. Knowing what I know about the long-term desires of…

The following appeared in the Washington Post   Obstacle or Opportunity? How the Palestinian Unity Government Offers a Path to Peace By Daoud Kuttab Monday, March 26, 2007; A15 When Henry Kissinger coined the term “constructive ambiguity” during his attempts to negotiate Arab-Israeli peace, he couldn’t have expected that one day Palestinians would use it…

by Daoud Kuttab The reconciliation between the leaders of the two major Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah, which was negotiated in Saudi Arabia last week, is being hailed as a major political breakthrough. But the national unity government created as a result of this agreement faces many daunting challenges.

By Daoud Kuttab If Israeli officials felt that the protest against work near Al-Aksa mosque was a local problem that would soon go away, they were not watching Lebanese television. Some might think that the Arab world’s most popular TV program, Star Academy, is all about singing youth and half-dressed presenters. But on Friday, February…

Daoud Kuttab Ever since the outbreak of the internal Palestinian fighting that has resulted in the death and injury of hundreds, two different points of view have surfaced. One simply put this shameful action at the front steps of the Palestinians. Those who think this way insist that there is no way one can blame…

By Daoud Kuttab The biggest losers in the current political stalemate in Palestine have been the civil servants. Their total number is a bit over 150,000. The actual civil servants are 73,000 and those on the security payroll from the various apparatuses are said to be 85,000. Add to this number those who are retired…

by Daoud Kuttab Three conditions must obtain for ceasefire agreements to work. They need to be mutual, supervised by a neutral party and supported by continuous political negotiations. Only the first condition seems to have been met this time around, and for the fire to cease we need to work on the remaining two conditions….

Daoud Kuttab The repeated disappointments Palestinians have witnessed over the years have greatly lowered the expectations of most that real change is possible regarding the continuous illegal occupation of their country. Recalling the Sermon on the Mount, which took place on Palestinian lands, one activist created his version of one of the beatitudes that reads:…

By Daoud Kuttab A little over a year ago, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn, Israeli defense minister Shaul Mofaz, the PA’s Muhammad Dahlan and the EU reached an agreement to allow Palestinians free movement in and out of the Gaza Strip.