KUWAITIS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GAZA ATTACKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000006

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP, NEA/IPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV SEC KU
SUBJECT: KUWAITIS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GAZA ATTACKS

REF: A. KUWAIT 1250

B. KUWAIT 1255

Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons
1.4 b and d


1. (LOU) Summary: Some 2,000 to 5,000 Kuwaitis demonstrated
in front of the National Assembly building on January 3 to
protest Israeli attacks on Gaza. A Member of Parliament
burned an Israeli flag, while some demonstrators chanted
"death to Israel" and "death to America." Speakers called on
Egypt to open its border crossing in Gaza to facilitate the
delivery of assistance. The Embassy issued a warden notice
in advance to Amcits urging them to avoid the area of the
planned demonstration; there were no incidents involving U.S.
citizens. End Summary.


2. (LOU) A crowd of demonstrators numbering, according to
various estimates, at between 2,000 to 5,000 marched a short
distance through downtown Kuwait during the afternoon of
January 3 before gathering in front of Kuwait's National
Assembly building to express their anger and frustration over
continuing Israeli air attacks on Gaza. The protest,
organized by the Kuwaiti Student Union, drew support
predominantly from younger Kuwaitis, although demonstrators
included elements from across Kuwait's demographic spectrum,
including expatriates and many women. Newspapers carried
photographs of prominent Islamist MP (and gadfly) Walid
Tabtabaei burning an Israeli flag. According to press
accounts, some of the marchers carried banners supporting
Hamas or Palestinian flags and chanted "death to Israel" and
"death to America." Kuwaitis security forces kept a close
watch on the demonstrators and there was no violence.


3. (LOU) When the demonstrators reached the National Assembly
building, they were met by a number of Members of Parliament
and Muslim clerics, several of whom delivered speeches
condemning the attacks and expressing support for
Palestinians in Gaza. Many of the speakers reportedly
focused their anger on the deaths of Palestinian civilians,
particularly women and children; others criticized what they
viewed as a heavy-handed and disproportionate Israeli
response to the firing of Hamas rockets into Israel. A
number of speakers called on Egypt to open its border
crossing point with Gaza to facilitate the provision of
assistance to trapped civilians. (Note: Kuwaiti security
forces closed off streets to bar a group of Kuwaiti students
from marching on the Egyptian Embassy on December 31;
security around the Embassy has since been tightened. End
Note.)


4. (LOU) In addition to statements by GOK officials on the
Gaza situation reported reftels, the head of MFA's
International Organizations Department, Mansour Al-Oteibi,
delivered a speech at an emergency meeting of the OIC held in
Jeddah on January 3 in which he underscored the GOK's
opposition to Israeli "aggression" on Gaza and urged other
Arab states to increase humanitarian assistance to the
Palestinians.


5. (C) Comment: The Embassy issued a warden notice on January
2 advising U.S. citizens to avoid areas where protesters were
expected to gather on January 3. There were no incidents
involving U.S. citizens. Post will continue to monitor all
developments closely. With the beginning of Israeli ground
operations, the likelihood of further demonstrations appears
likely. The reported U.S. blockage of UNSC language may also
lead to more pointed criticism than we have heretofore seen.
End Comment.

********************************************* *
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/
********************************************* *

JONES