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Arabia
Kuwaiti dailies call for normal ties with Israel
2005-10-09
KUWAIT CITY — Some Kuwaiti newspapers have taken the unpopular step of calling for normalisation of relations with the old enemy Israel, following similar moves by other Arab countries.

The comments in prominent papers in recent weeks mark a departure from the norm in the Gulf Arab country where hostility to the Jewish state still runs deep in society. “After a long time, we have finally decided to leave the Palestinian cause to Palestinians, because we really can't stand them after what they did to our country it is they who are really concerned with this issue,” an editorial by Ahmed Al Jarallah said in the English-language Arab Times. “Arabs will never be able to improve their economy unless they end their perpetual state of war and resort to peace.”

Jarallah praised moves by some Arab states, such as Tunisia and Qatar, to take a softer line on Israel.
Someone's definitely gotten a clue.
A Saudi columnist in Kuwait's Al Seyassah Arabic daily, a sister newspaper, also called on Gulf countries to normalise relations with Israel after its pullout from the Gaza Strip.

Yousef Al Suwaidan said Arabs should follow the example of Pakistan, whose foreign minister held ground-breaking talks with his Israeli counterpart last month after the Gaza withdrawal. "A positive Arab response at this particular time will boost the political peace process and a historic reconciliation in the Middle East," Suwaidan wrote.

But such remarks run counter to popular sentiment in Kuwait, where many Islamist and Arab nationalist politicians reject any dialogue on normalising ties with Israel. Arab anger against Israel and its ally the United States has deepened in recent years over Israel's crackdown on a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation and Washington's war in Iraq.

Despite strains in Kuwaiti-Palestinian ties during the 1990-91 Gulf crisis, Kuwait backs the Arab League's stance that an independent Palestinian state is a precondition to normal ties. "These columnists can say what they want, but will the government normalise ties? I don't think so," analyst Shamlan Al Issa told Reuters.
Recognizing that columnists can say what they want is big progress in Arabia.
Even Arab states who have already signed full peace treaties with Israel, such as Egypt or Jordan, do not envisage full normalisation, Issa said.
Posted by:Steve White

#2  If the Palestinians declare their own state, U.N. monies for the refugees would cease to flow, because then those in the "camps" of West Bank and Gaza strip would actually be citizens living in their own country. Then who would support the families of the terrorists while they were off making explosives and plotting mayhem? And how would the leadership be able to pay for their big houses and Swiss bank accounts?
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-10-09 15:15  

#1  Israel really isn't preventing the Paleos from declaring their own state. If they wanted to, they could do it today, and Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt would probably be willing to start involuntarily repatriating Paleo refugees tomorrow. After a period of amazement, Israel would laugh itself silly and close the door.

Of course, the Paleos wouldn't want this, as it would be the bloodiest civil war since Spain or Mexico.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-10-09 11:29  

00:01