Award-winning Palestinian journalist, Daoud Kuttab, outlined the huge impact that the war on Gaza has had on the region’s security, politics, economy, and image. “It has exposed Israeli security and intelligence vulnerability both during and even after October 7th,” Kuttab told Rotarians Wednesday at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Israel has witnessed multi-country vulnerability since October 7th and has experienced the deterioration of decades-long deterrence, he said. Kuttab who writes frequently for major US and world media said that the biggest damage that Israel has experienced is on the political and image levels. “The Palestinian issue is back on the front page around the world, support for Palestine has skyrocketed and Netanyahu has admitted, what many of us have known for years, that Israel has never wanted to give up land for peace with Palestinians.”
The Jerusalemite Kuttab also noted that the war on Gaza has created a schism in many western countries and among different generations. “On the official level, Spain, Belgium, and Ireland have come out for Palestine while Germany, the UK, and the US have justified and militarily supported Israeli genocidal actions.
Generationally, the division is even wider, Kuttab noted, with young people overwhelming on the side of Palestine. “Even in the US we are seeing senators, congressperson as well as progressives, Jewish and African Americans, siding with Palestine in ever increasing numbers.
The audience, at the English-speaking Cosmopolitan Club event in Amman, also included Rotarians from other Jordanian clubs, as well as several expats, international visitors, diplomats, and officials of international organizations.
Kuttab said that Gaza has reinvigorated the boycott of products from companies and countries that are supporting Israel and at the same time it has accelerated support for locally produced products. “But tourism was hit badly with Jordan losing 90% of tourism revenue in the last quarter of 2023 which had been on track to being a record year.”
Gaza has also exposed well-respected legacy media around the world. Kuttab slammed the BBC for failing to cover the first day in the South African genocide case at the International Court of Justice while broadcasting the Israeli rebuttal the following day. CNN, although smuggled one journalist Clarisa Ward with the UAE medical team, has admitted to having Israeli censors in their editing rooms, he said. “But while social media posts were reportedly around 11 billion pro-Palestine and 700million pro-Israel, the tech giant’s efforts at censorship and restrictions have continued, Kuttab said.
Journalist Daoud Kuttab concluded his speech by noting that some regional Arab countries have witnessed a slowing down or even suspension of the normalization process with Israel, while countries without a relationship with Hamas have been left watching as most international envoys have been making regular visits to Cairo and Doha.
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Photos credits: Journalist Daoud Kuttab and Cosmopolitan Rotary President Nasri J. Rabadiaudience at the Four Seasons Hotel
