FIVE MPS SUBMIT LEGISLATION TO BAN ALL CONTACTS

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000318

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS KU NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
SUBJECT: FIVE MPS SUBMIT LEGISLATION TO BAN ALL CONTACTS
WITH ISRAEL

REF: KUWAIT 22

Sensitive But Unclassified; not for Internet distribution.


1. (SBU) Five parliamentarians - two Shi'a Islamists, two
Sunni Islamists, and one populist - submitted draft
legislation March 3 calling for a complete ban on all Kuwaiti
interaction, both official and unofficial, with "the Zionist
entity" (i.e. Israel). The bill "seeks to prohibit
government agencies, individuals, and companies from
traveling to Israel, striking agreements with the Jewish
state, and holding meetings with Israelis," local press
reported. It would also prohibit "the opening of Israeli
offices (in Kuwait) under any pretext, directly or
indirectly." Violators would be subject to prison sentences
of between three and ten years and fines of up to 5,000 KD
($17,285). (Note: Kuwait adheres to, but does not strictly
enforce, the Arab League's primary economic boycott of
Israel. End note.)


2. (SBU) The legislation was proposed by Adnan Abdul Samad
and Ahmed Lari from the National Islamic Alliance (NIA),an
Iran-leaning Shi'a political association; Dr. Nasser Al-Sane
from the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM),the political
arm of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood; Ahmed Baqer from the
Salafi Islamic Grouping (SIG),a conservative Islamist
political association; and Musallam Al-Barrak, an outspoken
member of the Popular Action Bloc, a populist opposition bloc
in Parliament to which Samad and Lari also belong. The MPs
cited "Israel's continuing refusal to implement international
resolutions, 'barbaric' aggression against Palestinians,
savage destruction of Lebanon last summer," and Israeli
excavations near the Al-Aksa mosque as justification for
submitting the legislation. The bill would still need
approval from Parliament and the Government before going into
effect.


3. (SBU) Comment: If the bill comes to a vote before
Parliament, the entire 17-member Islamic Bloc and the
seven-member Popular Action Bloc would likely support it, as
would at least some of the Independent Bloc, a 12-member,
pro-Government alliance of primarily Sunni tribal MPs,
suggesting it could get the 33 votes needed to pass. This
legislation is yet another public relations effort by
Islamists to garner political support by defending popular
issues and putting pressure on the Government to toe a more
conservative line on sensitive foreign policy issues,
possibly in reaction to recent media reports about contacts
between Israel and Qatar. It also evidences continued
cooperation between Sunni Islamists and Iran-leaning Shi'a on
issues where their views coincide. End comment.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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LeBaron