Thirty-seven Kuwaiti lawmakers on Tuesday called on their government to reject a normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a statement, the members of parliament affirmed their solidarity with the Palestinian people, “recalling the parliament’s stable and continuous position against normalization [with Israel] in all its forms”.
Crimes of the Zionist occupation cannot be removed: Kuwaiti MP’s
“The crimes of the Zionist occupation cannot be removed by normalization from the souls of our children,” the statement said.
Read more: Whither the Arab and the Muslim world?
The statement referred to the incursions of Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque and Israeli attempts to Judaize the holy city.
Palestine has the right to defend itself from the crimes of the Zionist occupation.
Israel has always violated humanity and human rights.#GazaUnderAttack 🇵🇸#Palestine 🇵🇸— Walaa Saqer 🇵🇸 (@imlocca) February 24, 2020
The Kuwaiti government has maintained silence regarding the UAE-Israel normalization deal.
More than 30 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kuwait issued a joint statement Sunday condemning an agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel to normalize relations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an “advanced democracy”, days after a deal between the two countries to normalize their relations.
Kuwait. According to Al-Qabas, a Kuwaiti newspaper, government sources affirm that “Kuwait maintains its position and will be the last country to normalize with Israel.” Beyond Kuwaiti officials, analysts and academics, few have addressed Kuwait’s position on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Adam Hoffman and Moran Zaga acknowledged in February that Kuwait is “the only Gulf state that opposes even discrete normalisation with Israel.”
In January 2019, Giorgio Cafiero wrote that “Kuwait has become the one GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] state that refuses to see warmer ties with Israel as prudent.” Even White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said to Reuters that Kuwait is “out there taking a very radical view on the conflict to date in favour of the Palestinians.”
Netanyahu was hosted by the UAE-run Sky News Arabia on Monday to tout the normalization agreement between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi.
“The deal connects the UAE with Israel; both of them are advanced democracies and their societies are advanced,” Netanyahu was quoted by Haaretz as saying when asked about how the deal will serve regional peace.
The Israeli premier uploaded a video of the interview on his official Twitter account, before deleting it shortly afterwards.
The UAE is a hereditary monarchy where political freedoms are very limited.
The Gulf state is rated as “not free” by Freedom House, a US research group that studies democracy and political freedom throughout the world.
The UAE was given a score of 17 out 100 in terms of freedoms and 5 out of 40 in terms of political rights, a score less than Iran, China and Russia.
Abu Dhabi does not usually hold elections as all legislative, executive and judicial authorities are in the hands of the UAE’s Federal Supreme Council, a body consisting of the leaders of the seven emirates of the UAE.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced a deal between Israel and the UAE to normalize their relations.
Kuwaiti MP’s reject UAE-Israel deal
The UAE is the first Gulf state and third Arab nation to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.
“We reject any kind of normalization with occupying Israel. Normalization is a dagger stuck in the Palestinian cause and in the back of Arab society,” the NGOs, including the Kuwait Lawyers Association, Kuwait Media Association and Kuwait Economic Association, said in a joint statement.
The statement said the “occupying Zionist” country continues its violations against Palestinian brothers and sisters, adding the Palestinian cause is the priority of Arabs.
The statement also emphasized that all kinds of rights of Palestinian people to resist the occupation are fully supported.
The deal to normalize UAE-Israeli ties was announced last Thursday by US President Donald Trump, leading to a delay in Israel’s controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.
A joint statement by the US, UAE and Israel said the “breakthrough” would promote “peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders,” referring to Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last week, Israel and the UAE announced establishing full diplomatic relations in a US-brokered deal that will see the Jewish state postpone plans for annexation of land it illegally occupies in the West Bank that is sought by the Palestinians for their future state.
Read more: UAE-Israel deal: A betrayal of the Palestinian people?
Palestinian groups have denounced the normalization deal, saying it does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk