Summary
Mahmoud Abbas expressed solidarity with Kuwait and condemned Iranian attacks while praising Kuwait’s support for Palestinians. The gesture contrasts with the historical fallout from Palestinian leadership backing Iraq during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which triggered the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Relations later improved and Kuwait became a donor to the Palestinian Authority, though most expelled Palestinians never returned. Palestinians who live in Kuwait today continue to face significant professional, social, and service-related restrictions.
Key Takeaways
- Palestinian leadership publicly expressed solidarity with Kuwait and condemned Iranian attacks, emphasizing diplomatic support and historical ties.
- This outreach contrasts with the legacy of Yasser Arafat’s support for Iraq during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which led to a massive expulsion of Palestinians from the country.
- Despite later reconciliation and financial support from Kuwait, Palestinians in Kuwait still face long-standing institutional discrimination and social restrictions.
The war in Iran has certainly created some strange bedfellows. One of these curious relationships was bullhorned by WAFA, the official mouthpiece of the Palestinian Authority and its chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. According to WAFA,1 Abbas contacted the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
In the call, Abbas wished “the State of Kuwait and its brotherly people lasting security and stability” and condemned the Iranian attacks targeting Kuwait. Abbas also reportedly “expressed the full solidarity of the Palestinian people with the brotherly Kuwaiti people,” and “his appreciation to Kuwait for its unwavering positions in support of the Palestinian people, commending the solid brotherly relations.”
The call is an expression of cynical sycophantism for multiple reasons.
As Abbas condemns the Iranian attacks on Kuwait, he hopes and prays that the Kuwaitis have forgotten the open support of Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, for Saddam Hussein and his 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
At the same time, while drooling over Kuwait’s “unwavering support” and “brotherly relations,” Abbas is also trying to hide the fact that in retaliation for Arafat’s support for Hussein, the Kuwaitis decimated the Palestinian population in Kuwait from 400,000-450,000 to 10,000-22,000.2 Even after the purge the New York Times, ran an article in which it further alleged that “Palestinians in Kuwait Face Suspicion and Probable Exile.”
Despite the fact that the Palestinian leadership and the Kuwaitis reconciled after the death of Arafat in 2004, and while the Kuwaitis even became donors to the PA, the expelled Palestinians never returned to Kuwait. Having said that, since the low of the 1990s, recent studies claim that there are an estimated 100,000 Palestinians living in Kuwait.
Notwithstanding the “brotherly relations” between Kuwait and the Palestinians, in Kuwait, Palestinians face institutional and entrenched discrimination.
For decades, Palestinians were prevented from joining many professions in Kuwait, such as being teachers.3 Palestinian men living in Kuwait were prevented from bringing their wives to join them.4 Palestinians have also faced restrictions on access to basic services, including public healthcare and education.5
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