Days after Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced that they would be normalizing diplomatic relations, and with other Arab countries making noises that they might follow in the Emirates' footsteps, Kuwait is doubling down on its anti-Israel stance.
In a formal announcement issued Sunday, Kuwait said, "Our position toward Israel has not changed as a result of the deal to normalize relations with the UAE, and we will be the last to normalize ties," senior Kuwaiti officials told the Al-Qabas newspaper.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Dr. Michael Barak, a Middle East researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, told Israel Hayom that "the Muslim Brotherhood movement is very strong in Kuwait, and the state has very strong ties with the Palestinians."
"The Kuwaitis don't want to go back on their traditional support of the Palestinians, especially from the royal family, and the Arab national view that is still prominent in Kuwait. Those ties saw a major crisis because of the Palestinians' support for Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, but by 2015 relations were gradually restored."
As for the Kuwaiti parliament, Barak noted that "the Muslim Brotherhood is a strong force there, and they are very close to the royal family, which tries to present itself as the defender of the Palestinians.
"In Kuwait, there are Salafi associations that transfer donations to Hamas, which shows us that their ties [to the Palestinians] aren't only with the PA leadership in Ramallah.
"These issues influence the royal family, which does not want a direct conflict with the many members of parliament from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafi parties, or the parties that hold a pan-Arab worldview," Barak explained.
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Michel Aoun had a surprising reaction to the announcement of Israeli-Emirati normalization. Aoun, who has ties to Hezbollah, told the French BFMTV on Sunday that "the United Arab Emirates are an independent state," and when asked if he would be willing to normalize relations with Israel, said, "It depends."
"We have problems with Israel that would have to be solved first," Aoun said.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
