All indications point to the fact that the concession Israel is seeking from Saudi Arabia in exchange for its decision to provide information that will make the fight against the Houthisis none other than the normalization of Israel’s relations with Kuwait.
Specifically, what the Israeli side is reportedly expecting is for Mohammed bin Salman to pressure the Emir of Kuwait and his government to sign a new “Abraham Accord” between Israeland Kuwait.
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As explained on tonight’s main news broadcast of ALPHA Cyprus by the visiting professor of international relations at Panteion University and the station’s analyst on Middle East issues, Gabriel Charitos, the pace of the emerging developments was set last Monday (September 15) in statements to Israeli public radio, Yossi Shelly, Israel’s ambassador to the UAE and a close associate of Netanyahu. Selli had stated that he considers it highly likely that, within 4 to 6 months, “another Abraham Accord will be signed with an Arab country in the region,” specifying that this country “could possibly be Kuwait.”
However, regarding this specific issue, it is striking that the Israeli government is avoiding making statements that would link the normalization of relations with Kuwait to Israel’s decision to provide sensitive information to Saudi Arabia regarding the Houthi rebels. The governments of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are taking exactly the same stance.
In fact, it is telling that, in response to a related question from a reporter for Israeli state television, a Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the government in Riyadh has no intention whatsoever of normalizing relations with Israel in any form in exchange for information it would receive from Israeli intelligence services regarding how to address the situation on the Yemeni front.
The Israeli media are fostering a climate
On the other hand, as Mr. Charitos pointed out, Israeli newspapers and news websites are beginning to report extensively on the possibility of a normalization of Israel-Kuwait relations.
Specifically, in today’s edition, the newspaper Israel Hayom, citing well-informed Israeli sources, reports that, while Iran’s missile attacks against Kuwait were underway, Israel reportedly provided technological assistance and intelligence to enable Kuwait to counter the Iranian attacks as effectively as possible. The same report, however, notes that the governments of Israel and Kuwait kept this aspect of their bilateral relations out of the public eye.
Israel Hayom also mentioned the need to amend Kuwaiti legislation that prohibits any kind of contact with Israel. Notably, it cited the cases of two Kuwaiti journalists who had spoken out in favor of normalizing their country’s relations with Israel, one of whom was forced to leave Kuwait and settle permanently abroad, while the other journalist was sent to prison for giving an interview on a news program on Israeli state television.
“The enemy of my enemy…”
Beyond that, however, Israeli state television aired a report on its main newscast last night (September 19) statements from a former minister of the Kuwaiti government, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The former Kuwaiti minister, assessing the climate of tension that has prevailed in the Gulf since February, reportedly said that “when Iran attacks Kuwait and, at the same time, Israel attacks Iran, this means that Israel and Kuwait, in fact, have many common interests.”
In other words, current Israel-Kuwait relations are governed by the well-known adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” commented Gabriel Charitos on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus.
Institutional and Legislative Obstacles
However, regardless of current circumstances, much certainly still needs to be done before Israel and Kuwait can normalize their relations.
As Mr. Charitos noted, there is a numerically significant Palestinian community in Kuwait, and public opinion in the country remains extremely sensitive to the Palestinian issue, especially since the start of Israeli ground operations in Gaza and up to the present.
Institutionally speaking, a key feature of the Kuwaiti parliament’s operation is the promotion of pluralism, even though the government is appointed by the Palace. As a result, the country’s political leadership is obliged to take the views of domestic public opinion seriously.
Kuwait Among Powerful Neighbors
At the same time, Kuwait remains particularly cautious regarding its relations with neighboring countries. Kuwait shares borders with Iraq and Iran, two countries with a very strong Shia presence both domestically and within their systems of government.
Finally, it is worth noting that the Kuwaiti government strongly criticized the signing of the first Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in September 2020.
A Difficult Challenge
It is telling that at the time, Kuwait had made it clear to all parties through official government statements that it would be “the last country to sign an agreement normalizing relations with Israel,” clarifying that if that were ever to happen, “it would mean that an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, would already have been established.”
All these factors make it very difficult for the Saudi government to “convince” Kuwait to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel, especially at a time when current regional tensions are at a fever pitch.
Saudi Arabia-Houthi Front Escalates
There has been intense activity on the Yemeni front over the past 24 hours. Specifically, Saudi Arabia is intensifying its airstrikes against Houthi positions. On the ground, however, the Houthis appear to be advancing into areas of western Yemen and gaining control of the coastline along the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
According to reports, 68 deaths were reported yesterday, including 23 soldiers from the pro-Saudi forces and 40 Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, the flow of refugees from Yemen to the opposite African coast of Djibouti continues unabated. Yemeni refugees, who fled their homes in small boats and vessels, have reportedly been registered by the relevant authorities in Djibouti in numbers exceeding one thousand over the past two days.
Watch Gabriel Charitou’s report on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni:
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