Kuwait
is an oil-rich emirate, tucked up in the north-western corner of the Gulf. Its immediate neighbours are Saudi
Arabia, Iraq and Iran. One factor that
distinguishes it from other Gulf states is that Yasser Arafat founded Fatah
there in 1959, and it became home to a large Palestinian diaspora. Before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 1991,
some 400,000 Palestinians lived in Kuwait, amounting to 20 percent of its total
population. Subsequent deportation and
emigration has reduced that figure to 70,000 at the most.
Even so, a 2021 study by
the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African studies concluded, largely
because of its remaining Palestinian population, that “Kuwait does not seem
ripe for decision on the highly sensitive issue of normalization.”
The Palestinian question
has been a key issue in Kuwait for the past 60 years. But as 2022 dawned, different voices began to
emerge within the country. On January 17 Kuwaiti writer and poet Nejoud
Al-Yagout published a long article calling for Kuwait to join other Gulf states
in fostering coexistence with Israel and the Jewish people. “There
is no justified reason for the prejudice against Jews,” she wrote. “And there is no other time but now to wake
up from this stupor of separation… Let’s take the wait out of Kuwait.”
She proceeded: “One can
continue to support Palestine without hating Jews. Many Palestinians themselves
coexist with Jews. And many Jews support Palestine. One can embrace Jews
without having a political agenda… It is our responsibility, each one of us, to
become ambassadors of humanity, beyond our belief systems, beyond our political
inclinations.”
A few days later the
Kuwait-based newspaper, the Arab Times, called openly for normalization
and breaking away from the Palestinian leadership. “Normalize,” ran the headline. “Let insulters fend for themselves.”
In the accompanying
editorial, Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of the Arab Times, explained that
Kuwait, along with the other Gulf States, had continued to support the
Palestinian cause despite a long series of provocations by the Palestinian
leadership. Among other matters he lists their support of Saddam Hussein’s invasion
of Kuwait, of Colonel Gaddafi in his attacks on the Gulf states, and of the
Iranian-bolstered Houthis. He objects to their condemnation of the leaders and
governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries because they did not
mourn the assassination of “the head of the terrorist snake Qassem Soleimani.”
“Enough is enough!”
Al-Jarallah ended. “The camel’s back has been broken from the burden of grief
we endure due to the ingratitude of the Palestinians. They have been
encouraging terrorism against us, issuing calls to kill us…All the Gulf states
should normalize relations with Israel due to the fact that peace with this
most advanced country is the right thing to do. Let the foolish fend for
themselves.”
Kuwait went to the polls
on 29 September to elect a new parliament. The previous parliament, dissolved
in June just six months after its 4-year term began, had become embroiled in
months of political feuding with the government. Under the Kuwaiti system it is the Emir who both
appoints the government and can dissolve the parliament.
However
things are changing in Kuwait. Last year
the Emir, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, issued an amnesty for political
opponents who were on trial under various charges. Then, just before the poll, the country’s
prime minister, Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal, the Emir’s son, speaking
apparently on behalf of the Emir and the royal leadership, pledged not to
meddle: “We will not interfere in the people’s choices for their
representatives, nor will we interfere with the choices of the next National
Assembly in choosing its speaker or its committees.” He added: “Parliament will be the master of
its decisions and we will not be supporting one faction at the expense of
another. We will stand at the same distance from everyone.”
These steps by Kuwait toward
a more liberal system of government and more open society could also be seen as
a move toward the pragmatic policies adopted by its fellow Gulf states, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, on normalizing relations with Israel. Kuwait’s electorate, though, may be a few
steps behind its leadership. The
election resulted in considerable gains by Islamist parties, and the new
parliament might seek to obstruct the government if it decided to pursue its
liberalization policies.
What of the future? The Kuwaiti Emir has taken more than a leaf
from the book of his Saudi neighbor, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), whose
ambitious Vision 2030 plan to transform the Saudi economy is well under way.
Giving himself an extra five years to achieve his objectives, the Emir published
his “Kuwait Vision 2035 – New Kuwait” in 2017, a year after MBS.
Kuwait's 2035 vision
aims to transform Kuwait into a regional and international financial and trade
hub. With its economy led by the private
sector, it will promote competition and production efficiency. A supporting institutional body will concentrate
on cultivating a business friendly environment, especially attractive to
investors. Without spelling it out, it
seems obvious that the Emir’s vision would slot perfectly into a policy of
normalization with Israel in line with that of the UAE and Bahrain. Kuwait will surely connect up the dots well
before 2035.
Published in the Jerusalem Post, 19 October 2022, and in Jerusalem Post online under the title "What is the future of Kuwait?":
Published in Eurasia Review, 30 October 2022:
Published in Jewish Business News, 28 October 2022:
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2022/10/28/taking-the-wait-out-of-kuwait/
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