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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Elections Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Books Interview Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Rage in the Gulf
By Nadia Abul-MagdCitizens of Arab Gulf countries were no exception in reacting angrily to the killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces, following the visit by Likud leader Ariel Sharon to Al-Haram Al-Sharif in Jerusalem two weeks ago. With some Gulf states witnessing their first demonstrations, thousands took to the streets calling for a holy war against Israel, halting all forms of normalisation with the "Zionist enemy" and closing down its representation offices in their countries. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offered aid and medical treatment in their countries to Palestinians injured in the clashes with Israel. However, Israel's decision to close Gaza Airport on Sunday, citing security reason, prevented the Gulf nations from sending emergency medical supplies to Palestinians.
A businessman in Dubai published an ad in Al-Khaleej daily seeking 50 truckloads of "extra hard" rocks and 500,000 slingshots to send to the Palestinians for use against Israeli forces.
Although, public rallies are rare in the Gulf, Kuwait's support for Palestinians was a surprising development for observers. Kuwaiti political organisations, non-governmental organisations and students turned out en masse to express their solidarity with Palestinians and anger against Israel. More startling was the burning of the American flag and the chanting of the slogan "Death to America," representing the first expression of anti-Americanism since the US-led alliance liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in early 1991. More than 10,000 people took part in a protest on Monday in support of Palestinians, the largest ever in Kuwait's history.
Expressing outrage in Kuwait
(photos:AFP, AP, Reuters)
That Kuwaitis were vociferous in their support for Palestinians is noteworthy given that relations between the two peoples soured after Kuwaitis accused Palestinians of backing Iraq in its invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. In Saudi Arabia, where rallies and demonstrations are unheard of, at least 2,000 people escorted by police held an anti-Israel rally last week. They chanted "No to normalisation with Israel, the Intifada must continue." In one incident police clashed with demonstrators when they tried to push through lines of anti-riot police. Similar clashes between police and demonstrators took place in Oman where citizens held anti-Israel demonstrations on three consecutive days.
Qatar, whose Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in New York last month, also witnessed some of the large protests. Qatari demonstrators condemned normalisation with Israel and called for avenging the massacre of Palestinians.
Iraq, where President Saddam Hussein openly called for war against Israel and the closure of US embassies, also witnessed demonstrations in which thousands of Iraqis expressed their readiness to fight alongside their Palestinian brothers.
Related stories:
Focus on Palestine
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