Feb
23
2007
Daoud Kuttab
It is pleasant yet sad to see the Israelis and the Americans squirming. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has flip-flopped from opposing the Mecca agreement to stating that his government neither supports nor opposes the accord, to his latest attempts to bypass US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by going to her boss to insist on the boycott of the yet to be established national unity government.
The Mecca agreement represents a clear shift in the Islamic Hamas movement from the Iranian-Syria axis to the Saudi side. In response, the head of the US diplomacy is complaining that this agreement complicates things.
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Feb
23
2007
by Daoud Kuttab
It is pleasant yet sad to see the Israelis and the Americans squirming. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has flip-flopped from opposing the Mecca agreement to stating that his government neither supports nor opposes the accord, to his latest attempts to bypass US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by going to her boss to insist on the boycott of the yet to be established national unity government.
The Mecca agreement represents a clear shift in the Islamic Hamas movement from the Iranian-Syria axis to the Saudi side. In response, the head of the US diplomacy is complaining that this agreement complicates things.
Continue Reading »
Feb
16
2007
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. Continue Reading »
Feb
12
2007
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 9, the students at Star Academy joined together in singing the song of Lebanese superstar Fairuz about Jerusalem. Continue Reading »
Feb
09
2007
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 the Israelis for this and that Palestinians are in need of inner reflection and stop blaming others for their fate.
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Feb
06
2007
Palestinians Say Clashes Hurt Their Cause
JERUSALEM, Feb. 4 — (NY Times) The fierce internal clashes between Palestinian factions have shocked many Palestinians and Arab governments, who fear that the continuing bloodshed is damaging the Palestinian image before the world, Palestinians say.
“This fighting affects everyone’s morale,†said Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian analyst who teaches at Al Quds University here. “We always felt we had this one big asset, our social unity as Palestinians, but to see it shredding, with lives being shed without much concern, is horrible. We’ve lost a lot of sensitivity to these deaths, to those killed by the Israelis and ourselves.â€
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Feb
02
2007
by Daoud Kuttab
(Thursday February 01 2007)
It seems to happen about every ten years. The cycle of serious US interest in moving the Arab-Israeli conflict seems to take a high profile role always in the second half of the second and final term of the US president. Continue Reading »