The Israeli Aggression on Gaza: An Analysis of Kuwaiti Opinions According to the Arab Barometer Survey from Princeton University
By Samir Abu Rumman, PhD, Visiting Research Scholar, Princeton University, and now with George Mason University
The Arab Barometer recently conducted a study in the state of Kuwait, coinciding with the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7. This study involved Princeton University, Harvard University, and Kuwait University. It included 1,210 Kuwaitis from both genders in households. The following lines present the findings of the study, which will be published on the website: https://www.arabbarometer.org/.
The concept of terrorism and the actions that fall under it are highly controversial and disputed. This is due to the diversity of perspectives on its definition, causes, and objectives among entities, states, international institutions, and even researchers. Political, cultural, and historical contexts influence the definition.
A great contrast
The study – concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict – pointed out what Israel, supported by its allies, considers actions taken in self-defense or to ensure security while classifying resistance as terrorism. Respondents were presented with a list of actions taken by various actors in the Gaza war and were asked to identify what they considered to be “acts of terrorism.”
This study, which I contributed to, revealed a set of indicators, there is a great contrast in what respondents considered to be acts of terrorism. The Israeli bombing of Gaza, which led to civilian casualties, was ranked highest followed by “Israel’s cutting off water and electricity, and destroying infrastructure” and “Israel’s demand for over two million civilians in Gaza to leave the northern cities of the strip” and “the Israeli blockade on Gaza since 2007”.
How do Kuwaitis describe the events in Gaza?
Similarly, there is controversy and division regarding the definition and classification of military actions related to the conflict. While Israeli and Western media describe what is happening as a war, resistance media and Arab media describe it as aggression. This debate was reflected in the exchanged statements between the different actors in the conflict, with accusations of war crimes and serious human rights violations, countered by justifications related to self-defense and national security.
The study showed that an overwhelming majority of Kuwaitis expressed solidarity with Gaza in various ways, the most interactive of which was boycotting companies supporting Israel!
Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza last October, the Kuwaiti people, from different segments, have shown a remarkable state of solidarity with the people of Gaza and emphasized the importance of standing with their brothers in their ordeal. Kuwait witnessed intensive efforts by individuals, charitable organizations, and community initiatives to provide assistance and support to the residents of Gaza, whether through donation campaigns, organizing solidarity events, or providing urgent relief, reflecting the deep humanitarian and fraternal ties between the Kuwaiti and Palestinian peoples.
Respondents were asked how they expressed solidarity with Gaza, whether it was boycotting companies supporting Israel, continuously following news of the war, participating in general solidarity events, and others. The results showed that “boycotting companies supporting Israel” was the most common form of solidarity at a significant rate of 83.6%, followed by “continuously following news of the war” at 64.8%, then “monetary donations to Gaza” at 62.6%, followed by “sending solidarity messages through social media” at 44.1%, and “participating in general solidarity events” at 21.5%.
A Pessimistic View of the Two-State Solution
Regarding the Kuwaitis’ perspective on the possibility of achieving a two-state solution, the majority were pessimistic about the commitment of Israelis, both government and people, to this solution.
The survey indicated that respondents were asked about their belief in the Israeli government’s commitment to a two-state solution that equally preserves the rights and security of both Israelis and Palestinians. The results showed that 79.2% do not believe in it at all, 8.0% believe to a small extent, 1.0% to a moderate extent, and 6.2% to a large extent.
Concerning the belief in the Israeli public’s commitment to the two-state solution in the aforementioned manner, 72.9% said they do not believe in it at all, 10.5% believe to a small extent, 3.4% to a moderate extent, and 7.2% to a large extent.
These significant percentages of Kuwaitis who do not believe in the commitment of the Israeli government and the public to the two-state solution indicate their deep pessimism about the intentions of the Israeli side and its seriousness in achieving peace that restores Palestinian rights.
In 1993, the Palestinian Liberation Organization signed the Oslo Agreement with Israel, under which it recognized Israel’s right to exist and renounced armed struggle against it. The agreement established the Palestinian self-governing Authority rule over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been stalling in recognizing the Palestinian state, despite all forms of cooperation demonstrated by the Palestinian Authority, and has taken measures that render the establishment of this state almost impossible.
Conversely, when asked about the Palestinian public’s belief in a two-state solution, 25.3% did not believe in it at all, 11.7% believed to some extent, 16.9% to a moderate extent, and 37.8% to a large extent.
These survey results reflect a clear division of opinions regarding the commitment of both the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian public to a two-state solution.The results of these latter questions appear consistent with those related to Israel’s commitment, government and public, to a two-state solution. The actions and policies adopted by the Israeli government, considered the most right-wing and extreme in the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict—such as repeated attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Gaza, the annexation of West Bank territories, continued settlement construction, among others—have led a significant portion of Palestinians to despair over the possibility of achieving a two-state solution.”
This article was first published in Arabic in Alanba daily newspaper and translated first in English on Generation1.ca. Article in Arabic on Aljazeera.net
https://bit.ly/3xGDbeQ
Samir Abu-Rumman | Princeton Politics is a former visiting research scholar at Princeton University, USA, and now with George Mason University, with extensive years of experience in research, education, and development in different countries. He is the supervisor of “World of Opinions” in Kuwait, Jordan, and the U.S., has led and supervised different regional and global research projects for organizations such as the World Values Survey and Arab Barometer for Princeton University and also participated as a keynote panelist in our fall 2023 virtual insights career fair and case competition.
