ShareKUWAIT: Kuwait University’s Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies organized a seminar titled “The Arab and Western Position on the (Zionist) War of Genocide in Gaza”. The event took place on Sunday at Kuwait Airways Hall within the College of Social Sciences at the Shuwaikh campus. Notable attendees included Dr Yaqoub Al-Kandari, Acting Director of the Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, Dr Abdullah Al-Shayji, Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University, and Dr Ali Al-Sanad, Professor of Islamic Studies at the College of Basic Education at PAAET. The discussion was moderated by Dr Ali Al-Kandari, who serves as the President of the Faculty Members Association at Kuwait University.
Dr Ali Al-Kandari extended a warm welcome to the guests and participants, underscoring that this academic gathering was organized by the Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies at Kuwait University as a demonstration of support for Palestine and a stance in solidarity with their rights — a stance rooted in both popular sentiment and academic rigor.
Dr Shayji highlighted the global impact of the events in Gaza, which shook the conscience of the entire world and exposed double standards and the perpetuation of a false narrative. He expressed concern that during the Gaza bombings, there was a conspicuous absence of condemnation of the word “occupation” or calls for a ceasefire from American and European leaders, despite these being pivotal issues.
Dr Shayji stressed that the Zionist entity’s actions constituted continuous war crimes. He also emphasized that international law and all legal frameworks grant the right to resist occupiers, asserting that Gaza was merely defending its territory. He considered the ongoing situation a grave crime with significant regional and global implications, marking the sixth war initiated by the Zionist entity against Gaza.
Dr Shayji further discussed three discernible positions arising from this conflict: The frail state of the Arab world, the commendable roles played by non-Arab nations such as Iran and Turkey, and the positions of major countries and their affiliations. He likened the Western response to that seen in the context of the Ukraine situation and raised questions about the US president’s skepticism regarding the number of casualties.
Dr Sanad observed that the Arab position was currently at its weakest concerning the Arab-Zionist conflict. He noted that due to historical differences among Arab nations, there was a notable absence of a unified position. He referenced a peace summit, where calls were vague, lacking specific details. He pointed out that the Western position affirmed the Zionist entity’s right to self-defense, in contrast to the Arab position, which primarily emphasized humanitarian aid, with little mention of other critical aspects. This divergence led him to conclude that the statement could not be considered a genuinely Arab statement, and he lamented the absence by Arab nations of any mention of the Palestinians’ right to resist occupation.
