Palestinians Reopen EmbassyIn Kuwait After Two Decades

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Kuwait to reopen the embassy there, marking a new chapter in Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations, writes Dalia Hatuqa.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meets with Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah during the opening of the Arab summit in Damascus March 29, 2008 in this picture released by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO). An Arab summit opened in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday in the absence of Lebanon and of conservative Arab leaders critical of Syria's role in the Lebanese crisis. REUTERS/Omar Rashidi/PPO/Handout (SYRIA). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPA
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meets with Kuwait Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah during the opening of the Arab summit in Damascus, March 29, 2008. - REUTERS/Omar Rashidi/PPO
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Dalia Hatuqa
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A new chapter in Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations is about to begin following a two-decade-old rift between the oil-rich Gulf state and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). On April 15, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to the Kuwaiti capital, where he was scheduled to reopen the Palestinian embassy, closed in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Relations soured between the Kuwaiti and Palestinian leaderships after the PLO, headed by the late Yasser Arafat, failed to condemn the invasion. It was then that the Palestinian embassy was closed, ties with the PLO severed and financial support withheld.

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