Kuwaiti Paper Denounces Yeshiva Terror Attack
Another airborne bacon moment with a Kuwait newspaper publishing a harsh criticism of Thursday’s terror attack at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva.
A Kuwaiti newspaper on Tuesday published unprecedentedly harsh criticism of the terror attack which killed eight students at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva.
“The attack at the yeshiva was a barbaric murder of eight children who were engaged in religious study,” read an op-ed in the daily Al-Watan. “This odious and inhuman terror attack exemplifies the extremist and inhuman path of the terror organizations Hamas and Hizbullah.”
The writer goes on to assert that “the terror attack must prompt the free world to comprehend the magnitude of terrorism and its threats and to realize that a clear and unequivocal stance must be assumed against it. There can be no negotiations with terrorism that indiscriminately aims itself at students, women and babies without any consideration for the means and the targets.”
Contrasting the terror attack with the IDF’s operations in the Gaza Strip, the writer explains that “there is no link between a murderous terrorist act and the inadvertent killing of civilians in response to the firing of rockets by Hamas.”
The piece presented a stark contrast to the main current in the Arab press, which presented almost sweeping praise for the “heroic operation.”
It bears mentioning that this is the second positive sign from Kuwait in a week, with a Kuwaiti analyst coming out in support of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear reactors a few days ago.
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: Uncategorized
holy crap
Hmm, what do you think it all means? It’s gotta be that Kuwait and states like her are really trying to break away from Iran. Not that they have a connection, because they don’t, but it seems to me that Iran is increasingly isolating itself from other oil rich countries, countries that very much want to maintain this oil gold mine. They can feel Western anxiety over Middle Eastern oil dependence (America gets 21% of its oil from the Middle East, and America has a LOT of oil). So, maybe Kuwait is saying “Hey, we’re not all bad!”
Or maybe this guy is like our Noam Chomsky.
I think the Gulf states are simply using the opportunity to disassociate themselves from barbaric behaviour by blaming it, certainly not without real reason, on Iran.
The Gulf states’ rulers have no interest in being Israel’s enemies. Their problem is the propaganda that radicalises their people and makes them support notions like Arab nationalism and heretical “Islamic” fundamentalism which are both ideologies that have no room for hereditary emirs.
(The same is not true for Saudi Arabia since their rule is based on heretical fundamentalism.)
Kuwait especially had a wake-up call in 1990 and they have been trying to change sides without losing to nationalists or heretics since.
Attacking the Baath and the PLO has become easier lately, but attacking Hamas and anything Iran-backed is the safer way.
“Not that they have a connection”
They don’t, as you say. But I guess the point is that they also don’t want to get a connection, if you know what I mean.
Kuwait and the other Gulf states share at least one interest with Israel and the US: continued independence of the Arab Gulf states from Iran (and formerly Iraq).
Could it be that the Arab states are FINALLY beginning to see that the terrorists in their midsts are threatening their economic status quo?
D.S.
Netanya, Israel
“Could it be that the Arab states are FINALLY beginning to see that the terrorists in their midsts are threatening their economic status quo?”
They have always seen it.
The anti-Israel positions have been held by three groups (and their many supporters among the illiterate population):
1. Arab and Syrian nationalists
That would be your Nasserists, your Iraqi Baath party, the PLO, the groups with ties to Germany in the 30s and 40s. Those groups are not happy with the status quo and have been trying to take power in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, and Kuwait. They are opposed by the other two groups.
2. So-called “Islamic fundamentalists”
They are your “Muslim” Brotherhood, your Hamas, your Al-Qaeda, and the Saudi family. They oppose Arab nationalism and any non-”Islamic” entity, including Jews and Christians.
3. Khomeinists and their allies
They are the Iranian regime, Hizbullah, and the Syrian Baathists. They have ideological differences with the second group and practical differences with the first.
The interesting aspect is that the first group is dying and their supporters are merging with the second and third groups while their leaders are trying to become part of the US/Israel/EU side.
This is how the Syrian Baathists ended up on Iran’s side (they were an early split-off of Arab nationalism), and this is how Egypt’s government has changed since Sadat, and this is why Abbas is “moderate”. Saddam Hussein was the last truly powerful representative of that particular tribe.
The first are secular, the other two are heretical Muslim groups. Number 1 and 3 practice idolatry, whether it is Saddam Hussein and Arafat they idolise or Khomeini doesn’t matter. Group number 2 are not following anyone in particular.
“…The interesting aspect is that the first group is dying and their supporters are merging with the second and third groups while their leaders are trying to become part of the US/Israel/EU side…”
Okay, so what if the Nasserites, the remnants of PLO et al leadership manage to curry favor with the EU, what’s in it for them? I seriously doubt that they could have credible political power at this late stage.
David C. Siedlar
Netanya, Israel
“Okay, so what if the Nasserites, the remnants of PLO et al leadership manage to curry favor with the EU, what’s in it for them?”
Survival.
At this stage, the Arab nationalist leaders have to fight for their survival.
“Reformed” leaders like Mubarak stay in power largely because of American help. The kings of Jordan who, admittedly, never really liked Arab nationalism, were saved from Syria by Israel. And Abbas, I am sure, stays in power mostly because Israel still supports his “government”.