KUWAIT CITY (Dispatches) – Kuwait has issued a decree banning the entry of ships carrying goods to and from Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories into Kuwaiti territorial waters, local media reported.
Kuwaiti Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Rana al-Faris on Saturday announced the ban, the Kuwaiti daily newspaper al-Anba reported.
The ban also covers vessels carrying goods from the occupied territories destined to another country outside of Kuwait.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas welcomed the decision and said it was in line with the policy of the Kuwaiti government, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah and the Kuwaiti nation, who have supported Palestinians in all political, diplomatic, parliamentary and international spheres.
It also called on other countries to “follow the same approach” and restrict trade and maritime traffic with the Zionist regime.
Kuwait maintains a strong stance against the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime. In May, the Kuwaiti parliament passed a bill banning Kuwaiti nationals and expat residents from visiting the occupied territories. The new law also outlawed expressions of sympathy with the occupying regime.
Kuwaiti laws prohibit any dealings with entities and persons living there and with persons who have an interest in the regime - even if they live outside the occupied territories. Importing, trading and possessing any Israeli goods or goods made with Israeli-sourced materials are forbidden.
In May, the Kuwaiti government summoned the Czech ambassador to Kuwait after he expressed support for the regime, which was carrying out an airstrike campaign against Gaza.
Anti-Israeli sentiments run high in Kuwait. A poll conducted in 2019 by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an American think tank, showed that 85 percent of Kuwaitis oppose normalizing ties with the Zionist regime.
Kuwait’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause stands out in the Persian Gulf region. Two of Kuwait’s neighbors, the UAE and Bahrain, recently normalized economic and diplomatic relations with the regime since signing the U.S.-sponsored so-called Abraham Accords in August 2020.
The Kuwaiti Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Talal Al-Fassam reiterated on Wednesday his country’s support for the Palestinian people.
He condemned a recent visit by Zionist president Isaac Herzog to the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Palestinian city of Al-Khalil, which is partially occupied by settlers under protection of the Zionist army.