Jul
28
2011
By Daoud Kuttab
If anyone outside Palestine had doubts that the Palestinian Authority was hesitant about going to the UN to request the recognition of Palestine as a full member, a trip to Ramallah would quickly put an end to this scepticism. Ramallah’s hotels are full of members of the Palestine Central Council (the second highest representative body in Palestinian politics after the Palestine National Council). PNC Speaker Salim Zannoun has held meetings in Amman, Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah in preparation for a crucial ?entral council meeting in Ramallah this week. The leading independent daily published in Ramallah, Al Ayyam boasts a colourful map of the world with 122 flags representing world countries that have indicated that they will vote for Palestine to be a full member. Continue Reading »
Jul
21
2011
By Daoud Kuttab
The violent attacks by uniformed policemen last Friday on journalists dressed in bright orange vests (provided to them by the police to distinguish them from protesters) continues to baffle many.
The Jordanian authorities were clearly opposed to the demonstration planned for the Nakheel Park near downtown Amman. They were afraid that the demonstrators wanted a prolonged strike, similar to the one in Tahrir and Pearl squares, in Egypt and Bahrain. Pressure on the organisers was clear if one read the local papers that morning. The security branches of the government were poised to deny the demonstrators their desire and made some last-minute changes regarding the location of the demonstration in order to ensure that it will not be an extended protest. In the morning of Friday it was clear that the various security forces were pumped up and ready for a fight with the demonstrators if the latter didn’t behave according to this plan. Continue Reading »
Jul
15
2011
Daoud Kuttab
The hills of Ajloun came alive this summer with the sound of the internationally renown Christian singerLydia Shadid.
Instead of their regular conference program, music was the main focus of the annual Amman Baptist Church’s summer conference this year. Shadid, a Syrian-Lebanese singer who now lives in Texas, mesmerized the 100 strong congregants with a mix of old and new gospel songs. Accompanied by Jordan’s leading pianist, Salam Omeish, Shadid’s strong voice featured popular songs (most written by Egyptian writers), as well as songs written and composed by local Jordanian and other Middle Eastern hymn writers. Continue Reading »
Jul
14
2011
By Daoud Kuttab
The religious men and women patiently clutching their water jugs on July 10, waiting in line at the Israeli border crossing looked like the average Palestinian. They had been to Mecca for Umra, the lesser pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places.
What was different in this group of Palestinians was that they were holding Israeli passports. The individuals, mostly from the Naqab area, looked tired and exhausted. They had arrived the day before at about 9:00pm, but were denied entry by the Israelis. Continue Reading »
Jul
07
2011
The Jordanian public has been mesmerized these past weeks with the casino case debate in parliament, in which senior government officials have been charged with a variety of administrative errors and crimes. The 70-page detailed report faults 33 individuals, including the prime minister, with wrongdoing. But while the parliament and country have been focused on the actions of the first Bakhit government, a much more serious strategic problem was revealed in these findings.
A close read of the report shows a dysfunctional, chaotic system surrounding the prime ministry. The detailed report of the parliamentary committee exposes a haphazard institution which lacks basic checks and balances needed for the proper functioning of a government. It is not clear whether some of the problems present during the first Bakhit government continue today. Continue Reading »
Jul
05
2011
Israelis government officials and probably half of the Israeli population seem to be dead set against Palestinians going to the UN. The Palestinian attempt for full membership in the UN is called “an attempt to delegitimize Israel,†a “unilateral act’ a  “crimeâ€Â  and even ‘a declaration of war’ against Israel.
Continue Reading »