Kuwait-Saudi visit cements ties, is there a message to Israel?
According to reports at The New Arab Kuwait has drafted a bill that aims to solidify Kuwait’s “anti-normalization” stance against Israel.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANUpdated: JUNE 2, 2021 21:06A VIEW shows vehicles driving on a street in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this month.(photo credit: AHMED YOSRI/ REUTERS)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah praised relations between his kingdom and Kuwait. He said on Tuesday that the visit by Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the kingdom will boost political relations between Riyadh and Kuwait, according to reports.The Saudi Press Agency noted that “he underscored the significance of Sheikh Mishal choosing the kingdom as the destination of his first official trip abroad since he was named crown prince in 2020.”Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been close for many decades, and Riyadh hosted a massive international coalition in 1990 after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.In many ways that invasion upended the Middle East and set in motion many things that now overshadow the region. For instance, Osama bin Laden was fueled in his march toward declaring war on the US in the 1990s in the wake of the war. The defeat of Iraq eventually empowered Iran after the US invasion of 2003. The US is now leaving Afghanistan, but the 9/11 terrorist attacks created a massive counterinsurgency military industrial complex around the world.Now Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have held important talks. This comes after the Gulf crisis where Riyadh led the UAE, Bahrain and others to break relations with Qatar. Kuwait sought to mediate. Kuwait has appeared nonplussed by some recent moves in the region, such as the Abraham Accords of peace and normalization between Israel and Arab states.The meeting this week included discussions of regional affairs and the need to coordinate on international issues, reports said. “This coordination will also be reflected in supporting the causes of the Arab and Islamic ummahs (communities) in order to achieve security and stability in the region,” according to reports.Kuwait also mentioned Riyadh’s role in liberating the country from Saddam’s occupation.These days Saudi Arabia and Iraq have patched things up a bit, after decades of cold relations. But Baghdad has changed, and pro-Iranian militias now occupy much of Iraq. Riyadh and some Gulf countries want to invest in Iraq and the Kurdistan region. However, the pro-Iranian voices inside Iraq oppose Saudi Arabia.Kuwait is vulnerable to Iranian threats and wants to work more closely with Riyadh. However, Kuwait’s strong stance against Israel, which includes rhetoric and laws, means that the meeting with Riyadh and discussion of regional affairs could impact the rumors of warming links between Saudi Arabia and Israel.Last year, after the Abraham Accords, there were many rumors that Riyadh could be shifting closer to Israel. However, this spring, as the Biden administration came into office, Riyadh appeared to shift slightly in a different direction. It has opened discussions with Iran, apparently via Iraq. It is not intimating closer ties to Israel. It appears to be hedging a bit on what may come next. This is also because the US has given Riyadh the cold shoulder over its war in Yemen. Iranian-backed Houthis continue to attack Saudi Arabia using drones and missiles. Saudi doesn’t want its Yemen allies to be defeated by Iranian pressure.According to reports at The New Arab, Kuwait has drafted a bill that aims to solidify Kuwait’s “anti-normalization” stance against Israel. The Biden administration has said it supports normalization and that Israel must be accepted in the region. However, anti-Israel protests and voices in Kuwait during the recent Gaza war were amplified.
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