Bahrain workshop .. The difference of Kuwait's position with Manama does not spoil the friendliness of the case

Mahmoud Kafrawi - Kuwait

Kuwait reiterated its firm stance on rejecting all violations of the Palestinian right by boycotting the Bahrain Economic Workshop, which was launched on Tuesday, while observers said it would not affect Kuwaiti-Bahraini relations.

The workshop, which is seen as part of the US vision of peace in the Middle East, known as the "Deal of the Century", was widely rejected by the public and official in Kuwait. It started a week ago by issuing Kuwaiti political forces, In which the Government called for a clear position on participation in the workshop.

The statement of powers also stressed the rejection of attempts to blackmail and drag Arab countries to participate under the pretext of the development and prosperity of the occupied Palestinian territories, while the workshop in fact a platform for marketing normalization with the "Zionist entity" and promote the deal of the century.

The rejection of the political forces to participate followed by a statement issued last Monday by 19 associations and associations of public benefit in the country, which condemned the establishment of the workshop in an Arab country. It also affirmed its rejection of the American peace plan as a "civilian" force, stressing at the same time the necessity of boycotting it.

The People's Assembly, in a statement read by Council Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim during Monday's session, called on the government to boycott the work of the Manama workshop and rejected all results that would contribute to the loss of historical Arab and Islamic rights in Palestine.

At the same meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah affirmed Kuwait's adherence to the basic principles of its foreign policy based on supporting the Palestinian cause and accepting what the Palestinians accept.

"Kuwait will not accept what the Palestinians did not accept," Sabah al-Khalid said. "This is a clear response to the lack of participation in the conference in view of the boycott by the Palestinian Authority."

No impact on relations with Bahrain
In addition, politicians and experts praised the Kuwaiti position, which is the most prominent in the Arab world, both at the public and official levels, while at the same time being excluded from having a negative impact on the relationship between Kuwait and Bahrain as the host country for the workshop.

The experts who spoke to Al Jazeera Net hailed the rush of some Arab and Gulf parties in particular to participate in the conference despite the boycott of the Palestinian Authority, and also in the presence of an Israeli caretaker government that has nothing to do with it.

Kuwait University Political Science Professor Abdullah Al-Shayji said that the Kuwaiti boycott would not have an impact on the relationship with Bahrain because of the freedom of each country to take the appropriate position. As Bahrain volunteered to host the workshop, Kuwait boycotted its activities.

Al-Shaeiji said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "the situation may have a greater impact on the relationship with the United States, because with the other positions taken by Kuwait recently, a challenge to the will of the United States."

He said that the workshop is a liquidation of the Palestinian cause because it lacks the principles of politics such as the right of return, the two-state solution and Jerusalem. He wondered: Why do the Arabs participate in it if the Authority itself boycotted it, pointing out that the participating Gulf parties are not only rushing toward normalization, but also financing projects related to the deal?

The Secretary-General of the Kuwaiti Democratic Forum Ali Al-Awadhi agreed with the previous opinion, ruling out the impact of the relationship with Bahrain on the basis that the Kuwaiti-Gulf relations governed by the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council, while the Kuwaiti position of Arab and national issues is completely different with the policies of some Gulf States themselves.

Al-Awadhi said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that these policies were drawn up by Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as foreign minister and are based on supporting the Palestinian cause and rejecting any attempt to liquidate them through deals that surfaced from time to time.

Kuwait University political science professor Shafiq al-Ghubra said that the low level of representation of the participating Arab countries implies the exclusion of an impact on the bilateral relationship between Kuwait and Bahrain, because it confirms that the participants from the Gulf went in response to the urgency of the adviser to US President Jared Kouchner.

Al-Ghabra said that the participating countries are in line with the US administration, since Kouchner is the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and speaks with his tongue. He also markets the plan by linking it to Iran and the bilateral relationship that links America to the camp, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain.

He added that the workshop is nothing more than a project for Kouchner will not succeed because it will fall with the end of his era, especially that it is devoid of the political aspect, and the crisis of Palestine is not economic, but is a political issue of humanitarian and cultural and religious in essence, the evidence that the Gulf States pushed after the Oslo agreement towards $ 35 billion to push for peace, but the result was more occupation and restrictions.