By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The Kuwaitis for Jerusalem committee organized an award ceremony for young Kuwaiti tennis player Mohammed Al-Awadhi and some Kuwaiti writers for boycotting activities in which athletes and writers from the Zionist entity participated. The group is a joint committee from the Women's Cultural and Social Society and the Society of Graduates.

The boycotts are against the normalization of ties with the Zionist entity, which is the position of the government of Kuwait. According to a representative of the committee and both societies, this issue is still important, even to young Kuwaitis. Mohammed is one of the examples, as he lost the title but gained people's respect. A video from Gaza appreciating Mohammed's withdrawal has gone viral on social media.

The 13-year-old Kuwaiti tennis player withdrew from the match against the Zionist entity's player in the semifinals of the Ten-Pro Global Junior Tour for competitors under the age of 14 held in Dubai last month. This caused him to lose the chance to be the champion. "I want to thank all those who encouraged and supported me. Hopefully, I will rank first in upcoming competitions, and hope I will be as good as Rafael Nadal one day," Mohammed Al-Awadhi said during the ceremony.

In a previous interview with Kuwait Times, Mohammed's father Dr Jassem Al-Awadhi said his son would've most probably won the tournament and ranked first if he hadn't withdrawn in the semifinal, as he managed to defeat the candidate for the title. He also said Kuwaiti players respect the decisions of the Kuwaiti government.

Judaization of Jerusalem

Lulwa Al-Mulla, President of the Women's Cultural and Social Society and a member of the Kuwaitis for Jerusalem committee, said the group works against the Judaization of Jerusalem, and has been supporting the Palestinians since the 1980s. The name of this committee has changed depending on the circumstances. It was called the 'Children of Stones' in the beginning," she noted. The committee is involved in various projects in Jerusalem. "We prefer to work on projects that serve the people there, rather than sending donations. We do reconstruction of buildings and reoperation of schools," Mulla added.

The boycott by the Kuwaiti writers, although online, expressed the rejection of Kuwaitis of any normalization with the Zionist entity. "This sends a message to those running after normalization with the Zionist entity that Palestine will always remain Arab, and their nation will resist with Kuwait's support. Kuwait will never normalize ties with the Zionist entity. A group of NGOs is working on rejecting any normalization with (the Zionist entity)," explained Mulla.

Jinan Shihab, a Kuwaiti inventor also withdrew from Expo Dubai two days ago because a special celebration was held for the Zionist entity, is another example of Kuwaiti support for the Palestinian cause.