Kuwait's position towards Israel is unchanged after its accord with the United Arab Emirates and it will be the last country to normalize relations, newspaper al-Qabas reported on Sunday citing Kuwaiti government sources.
Israel and the UAE announced an agreement on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two states, making the UAE the only third Arab state to do so. Palestinians denounced the Israel-UAE deal, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have remained silent. Fellow Gulf nations Oman and Bahrain have praised the deal.
3 View gallery
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is seen during the Arab summit in Mecca
(Photo: Reuters)
A Kuwait foreign ministry official was not immediately available to comment.
"The Kuwaiti position is consistent with its decades-old foreign policy approach in support of the Palestinian cause, as it is the premier Arab issue, and only accepting a solution if it is what the Palestinians accept," al-Qabas said.
In addition, Iran on Sunday said the country will change its approach toward the UAE in the wake of the peace deal.
"Tehran's approach to the UAE will change ... If something happens in the Persian Gulf region and if our national security is damaged, however small, we will hold the UAE responsible for that and we will not tolerate it," the country's armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri was quoted as saying.
In the meantime, Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, said it trusts the "wisdom and good judgment" of the UAE's leadership for signing an accord with Israel, UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday.
3 View gallery
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R) and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani during an official reception at Qasr Al Watan
(Photo: Reuters)
"The UAE possesses absolute sovereignty and complete independence in conducting its relations and assessing the positions it takes in accordance with its national interest and the interests of Arabs and Muslims," WAM quoted a statement from Mauritania's foreign ministry as saying.
Mauritania used to have full diplomatic ties with Israel, but froze relations in 2009 in response to the 2008 Gaza war, known as Operation Cast Lead.