Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab said that the conflict in Palestine will not end until the Israelis negotiate seriously with the Palestinian people. “The increase in violence is a reflection on the absence of a political path for peace that would give Palestinians hope for an end to the occupation.”

Kuttab’s speech was part of the TEDx series that was held at the Menton Campus of the highly respected Sciences PO University. The Paris-based political science institute is considered one of the top two political science higher educational institutes in the world after Harvard. The Menton campus on the Mediterranean specializes in the Middle East.

In addition to talking about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Kuttab warned about the dangers that lie in the old City of Jerusalem. “Holidays of the three religions take place this April and if the occupiers insist on using force this Ramadan season, this could be a spark of much wider violence.”

The award-winning journalist also spoke about media freedoms in the Arab world. “The press in each Arab country is totally free when talking about other Arab countries but not when it comes to the country where the press is based,” Kuttab said that the ownership problem by governments, ruling families, and businesspeople in bed with governments have created a culture of self-censorship. He called for freeing the media from the security entanglement and creating an enabling environment for the free exchange of news and ideas.

Kuttab runs the Community Media Network (Radio al Balad and Amman Net) and is the publisher of Milhilard.com website that is focusing on social issues of Arab Christians in Jordan and Palestine.