(This was published in July 29th, 2010)

By Daoud Kuttab

Once again the summer heat is upon us. And once again, people’s anguish, and appeals at the overcrowded King Hussein Bridge are melting as quickly as an ice cream cone in the Jordan Valley’s high temperatures.

The King Hussein Bridge is the only crossing point available to the 3.5 million Palestinians of the West Bank. It is officially open from 8:00am till midnight, but in reality the last bus leaves at 10:00pm and people are often turned back on the Jordanian side after 9:00pm because of the summer congestion. More people are leaving the West Bank than visiting it, according to statistics issued by the Palestinian side. The Palestinian Authority reported that the traffic was moderate in first week of June. It saw the departure of 17,473 people from Jericho and the entry of 9,411 into the West Bank. This doesn’t include East Jerusalemites who cross the bridge directly without going to the Jericho crossing. Estimates of Jerusalemites who end up at the same terminal on the Jordanian side is about 3,500 a week. No published statistics have been issued by the Jordanian authorities. Continue Reading »

(This was published in July 26th, 2010)

By Daoud Kuttab

Over dinner in Bethlehem, a few weeks ago, I mentioned to my brother-in-law how Israel has strategically succeeded in cutting off the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. While agreeing with me, he wanted to talk about another problem: that of east Jerusalem being also cut off. He told me of what a senior Israeli officer once told him shortly after the beginning of the Oslo process. The Israeli official said that Palestinians shouldn’t celebrate too much the withdrawal of Israel from Bethlehem. Before too long, Palestinians in Bethlehem will need to have a visa to enter Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

(This was published in July 21st 2010)

By Daoud Kuttab

With little fanfare in Washington and with few countries in the world noticing, President Barack Obama signed into law an act that will hold governments all around the world accountable for violations of human rights. Continue Reading »

(This was published in July 15th, 2010)

By Daoud Kuttab

Arab civil society leaders gathered on the shores of the Dead Sea were quite sure about the future of Arab youth. Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Palestine (both West Bank and Gaza) and Jordan were invited by Naseej (“weaving” in Arabic), a five-year community development initiative launched in 2005 by Save the Children with funding from the Ford Foundation. Continue Reading »