Official: Kuwait has no intention to normalise relations with Israel

Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said that his country has no intention to normalise relations with Israel.

Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai quoted Al-Jarallah as saying that “there are no Kuwaiti steps to normalise [relations] with Israel.”

The Kuwaiti official noted that all “voices” calling for normalisation are “individual” voices and do not represent the official Kuwaiti stance.

“The Kuwaiti stance has been clear since His Highness the late Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed announced it -that Kuwait will be the last country to normalise [relations] with Israel.”

Al-Jarallah added that there are opinions expressed on social media in favour of normalisation but they definitely do not represent the official position.

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“Kuwait will be the last country to normalise relations with Israel, with due respect to all opinions expressed about the possibility of, or steps towards, normalisation with Israel.”

Israel has been undertaking a major normalisation drive in recent months, which has seen Netanyahu and other Israeli establishment figures visit Gulf states including Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Though Israel and its main ally the US have been keen to paint these efforts as a positive step towards Israel’s integration into the region, many are opposed to the initiative.