Kuwait - 

The withdrawal of any Kuwaiti player or thinker from the various events, due to the presence of Israeli competitors, is no longer surprising news, after it has become a permanent policy in dealing with all events that witness Kuwaiti participation.

In several tests, the resilience of the Kuwaiti people succeeded during the last period in the face of normalization with the Israeli occupation, confirming the country’s consistent popular and official position against normalization until the Palestinian people obtained their full rights by establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4, 1967 borders.

The "Initiators for Palestine" initiative, launched by the Kuwait Lawyers Association in cooperation with a large number of civil society institutions, to honor the Kuwaitis who oppose normalization with the Israeli occupation, is the best evidence of that hardness in the face of waves of normalization in the region.

Kuwaiti writer and writer Nasser Al-Dosari described the initiative to honor the boycotters as wonderful, as it motivates and confirms the stability of the Kuwaiti popular position against normalization.

He, along with a number of his colleagues, announced their boycott of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature last February, in protest of the participation of an Israeli writer in the festival's activities.

Chess player Bader Al-Hajri refuses to face the Israelis in various tournaments (Kuwaiti press)

clear position

Al-Dosari stressed, in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net, his rejection of normalization and dealing with the Israeli occupation, and that he does not recognize it, and that he is "against violating sanctities, displacing people, colonizing their lands and killing innocent lives," noting that he found praise, encouragement and all expressions of pride from his family, friends and fellow authors. From all countries of the Arab nation.

As for the Kuwaiti chess champion Bader Al-Hajri, who announced his withdrawal last May from the competitions of the Sunway International Chess Championship in Spain, after he was drawn against one of the Israeli occupation players, he expressed his pride in withdrawing from the tournament, stressing that the new initiative to honor the boycotters It is a motivator for many inside and outside Kuwait.

Al-Hajri said, in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, that the honor called for by civil society institutions means a lot to him, as it is a good initiative by those opposed to normalization, "and I am proud of my withdrawal from confronting the Israeli player and not recognizing him and his entity."

He added that advocating for the Palestinian cause is the duty of every Muslim who is jealous of his religion and its sanctities. It is the cause of a nation and not a state. He called on all Arab and Muslim players to withdraw from all sports matches if they were drawn against Israeli players.

He made it clear that he would not hesitate in any competition, no matter what, to repeat this withdrawal again, and not to confront any person from the occupying country that desecrates Islamic sanctities.

Al-Kandari stresses the importance of honoring those who reject normalization (Kuwaiti press)

Anti-normalization

As for the media coordinator of "Initiators for Palestine", Youssef Al-Kandari, confirmed that the initiative aims to celebrate, honor and consolidate the stances of the heroic Kuwaitis who declared their disdain for confronting the occupation players in matches, literary festivals or exhibitions, and forsaking the forums in which the occupation players participate.

Al-Kandari added, in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, that many popular parties honor the heroes on an ongoing basis, but individually, so this initiative was made in order to be a collective, under which the largest possible number of these institutions fall, so that the honorees receive a great warmth and appropriate honor due to their position that conveys the voice of The Palestinian people on various occasions.

He pointed out that the inauguration of this initiative coincided with the anniversary of the defensive war in June 1967, and the honor will be given to those who boycotted this year so far, explaining that the initiative is keen to honor everyone who had an honorable position individually and collectively.

He added that the honoring this year will include 12 Kuwaiti men and women in various fields and forms of anti-normalization, pointing out that this initiative is popular par excellence, as it is a civil society institution, "but we work under the umbrella of government institutions and ministries, as well as the country's orientation starting from the political leadership, the National Assembly and the men of The state is completely against normalization."

The media coordinator of "Initiators for Palestine" stressed that the goal of the initiative is to have sustainability, and for there to be a message from time to time that clearly declares at the highest levels that Kuwait supports the Palestinian cause and is against normalization, and that the people of Kuwait will not forget the nation's cause, which is their top priority. They will not exchange them for some victory or medals in various forums, but rather align themselves with their central cause.

Engineer Jenan Al-Shehab canceled her participation in the "Expo Dubai 2020" exhibition, in refusal to normalize (Kuwaiti press)

List of honorees

The list of honorees will include 12 Kuwaiti men and women, the writers Nasser Al-Dosari, Mona Al-Shammari, Ali Jaafar and Ahmed Al-Zamam, who announced their boycott of the "Emirates Air Festival of Literature" last February, in protest against the participation of an Israeli writer in the festival's activities.

The engineer, Jenan Al-Shehab, also canceled her participation in the "Expo Dubai 2020" exhibition, in refusal to normalize with Israel.

And tennis player Muhammad Al-Awadi, 14, who refused to play against an Israeli competitor, during the International Under 14 Championship in Dubai, last January.

And Kuwaiti athlete Abdul Razzaq Al-Baghli, who withdrew from the "Motoserve" (a water sport) race at the Abu Dhabi International Championship last March, refusing to confront an Israeli player.

And the national fencing player, Muhammad Al-Fadhli, who withdrew from the World Fencing Championships in "Dubai" last April, refusing to face an Israeli player, as well as the player Hussein Al-Nassar, who withdrew from the World Fencing Championships in Dubai.

The list of honorees also includes the player Kholoud Al-Mutairi, who withdrew from the Thailand International Championship, in the wheelchair fencing category, last May, for refusing to confront an Israeli player in support of the Palestinian cause.

As well as the player Nasser Al-Faraj after his withdrawal from the Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Japanese martial arts) in Hungary last May, refusing to face an Israeli player, and the chess champion Bader Al-Hajri, who withdrew last May from the Sunway International Chess Championship held in Spain, After the lottery made him face one of the players of the Israeli occupation state.

It is noteworthy that the late Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issued a decree on June 5, 1967 declaring the establishment of a defensive war between the State of Kuwait and the Zionist gangs in occupied Palestine.