A candidate for Kuwait’s parliamentary elections scheduled for May 16th has called for Kuwaiti recognition of Israel and plenary diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
Saleh Bahman, a businessman running for the Third Constituency, has stated that diplomatic relations with Israel would boost Kuwait’s regional standing and its prominence in the West.
“Establishing diplomatic relations with Israel will be in the best interest of Kuwait. This is an opportunity for Kuwait to express its opinion in this regard and play a more influential role in the regional political scene,” Bahman was quoted as saying.
He added, “Israel is a reality and has international influence… Kuwait would benefit from Israel’s influence if we establish relations.”
Whether Kuwait relations with Israel who boost its standing in Western eyes is questionable. Europe is not concerned with whether Kuwait has ties with Israel since they approach the Arab-Israeli conflict through balanced eyes. But even Israel’s patron the United States would probably not approach Kuwait any different, i.e. Kuwait would not gain any new leverage. America and Kuwait already have a strong relationship going back to America’s liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi forces in 1991.
So while there is little – if any – gain in the Western realm, Bahman’s claim that it would help Kuwait regionally is an absurdity. The entire Arab world watched in horror as Israel recently massacred over 900 Palestinian civilians, over 400 of them children, and continues to starve the Palestinians in Gaza by denying them such staples as in pasta. Qatar and Mauritania both cut off diplomatic relations with Israel during the most recent assault on Gaza.
Kuwait recognition of Israel would not be one of necessity for purposes of regaining stolen land or pacifying a border, as in the case of Egypt and Jordan respectively, but if done so for the selfish reasons outlined by Bahman; such an act would be properly seen as treasonous Maybe he failed to notice that even though Kuwait cruelly forced out nearly 300,000 Palestinians in revenge to Yasser Arafat’s endorsement of Saddam Hussein’s invasion, the Kuwait people are still pro-Palestinian. During the Gaza offense, tens of thousands of Kuwaitis turned up at march in solidarity with the Palestinians.
And the Kuwait parliament, which Bahman aspires to sit in, stopped just short of banning Palestinian “President” Mahmoud Abbas from addressing a joint session because he was [correctly] perceived as in cahoots with Israel’s attack on Gaza. Kuwait has nothing to gain by recognizing Israel before there is a Palestinian state to also recognize, the act would only reward Israel’s for its massacres and brutal, terrorist-like occupation and all for the purpose of ostensible gains in the name of narrow, selfish nationalism. Even if Kuwait would gain in its standing, nationalism should not override Arabism and the Umma.
If Bahman does get elected, and his opponent may now have an easier time; he will find himself in a party of one. The Kuwait parliament is currently considering a bill that would ban all dealings with Israel. Of course, the government already does not deal with Israel. The legislation would apply to citizens, and the consequences will be high fines.
Further, the Jerusalem Post reports that it is Kuwait official policy that the county would be the last to recognize Israel. The Post reports that, but I am not so sure it is true. I believe this is a Lebanese commitment. Anyhow, Bahman does not represent anyone in Kuwait regardless of how giddy Zionists are whenever an Arab calls for recognition of Israel. Usually, these are opportunistic Arabs seeking to make a name for themselves in the United States, not to say Europe at all, as the “good Arab.” MEMRI can be counted on to translate their vapid comments and in the United States an Arab is only human if he speaks fondly of Israel.
Bahman may very well make it into Tom Friedman’s column as in the case of Mithal al-Alusi; the Iraqi MP who attended a conference in Israel [1948 Palestine]. Friedman and all the other Zionists were so giddy and some even tried to pretend that al-Alusi represented Iraqi public opinion. In their dreams! Iraqis marched in droves in solidarity with the Palestinians during Gaza and editorial pages in Iraq – Sunni, Shia and Kurd – all condemned Israel as the barbaric power that it is and pledged support for their Palestinian brethren. Friedman et al are living in a different world. Here’s what he wrote then when al-Alusi came under criticism in Iraq for visiting the Usurping Entity Known As Israel:
The Iraqi newspaper Al-Umma al-Iraqiyya carried an open letter signed by 400 Iraqi intellectuals, both Kurdish and Arab, defending Alusi.
And, now, understand how stupid Tom Friedman is. He is uninformed that the paper Al-Umma al-Iraqiyya is actually owned by…Mithal al-Alusi. What a shock, his own paper defended him. And as for those 400 hundred intellectuals. Friedman could not read the letter, not that he’d know what to do with it even if he could; only one of the 400 is a intellectual of note. There others are all unknown and maybe not be intellectuals but just people indebted for one reason or another to al-Alusi and just added their names. What Friedman also does not know is that when confronted in parliament about his visit, al-Alusi actually punched on live TV a fellow parliament. But that is nice, a thug like this will never inspire the masses.
Al-Alusi is so unpopular in Iraq that he’s afraid to leave his home for fear of beating. And for his visit to Israel, al-Alusi was kicked out of Ahmad Chalabi’s party. Yes, that Ahmad Chalabi! Former American puppet who promised that Bush administration that if they installed him as president, he would recognize Israel. And even this buffoon, who could not even win a single seat in parliament let alone become president, found al-Alusi’s visit objectionable. But even Chalabi is more popular than al-Alusi. al-Alusi then started his own party that has a soaring membership of…ONE: al-Alusi.
Mithal al-Alusi. Look at this face! He isn’t fit to preside over a brothel let alone represent public opinion. .
Instead of looking for some obscure Arab to say something about Israel, Zionists should pressure Israel to accept – with inevitable modifications – the Arab Peace Proposal which, ironically, came about during a discussion with Tom Friedman and Saudi King [then Crown Prince] Abdullah.
