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Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Al-Jarallah, who is the editor-in-chief of the Kuwaiti Al-Seyassah newspaper, said that the Arab world cannot deny Israel's existence and that it should normalize relations and coexist with Israel like the rest of the world. He said that Israel and the Western countries share an ideology while every Arab country has a separate ideology, and that only peace with Israel can "harm or kill it." He said that Israel has stronger allies and a broader reach in the world than the Arabs do, and that occupations are something that "happens." He gave the example of Alexandretta, which he said some claim is Syrian despite it being under Turkish control. Al-Jarallah also said that the Arabs no longer have anything to do with the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and that they must not repeat the mistakes of the failed 1948 invasion of Israel. The interview aired on Al-Hurra TV (U.S.) on November 27, 2018.
Following are excerpts:
Ahmed Al-Jarallah: Anwar Sadat, may he rest in peace, knew how to deal with Israel. He put the ball in their court. Israel can only be harmed or killed by peace. Israel's allies in the world are stronger than ours. Its reach in the world is greater than ours. Israel, America, France, and all those countries share the same ideology, whereas we have 23 different ideologies. Kuwait has its own ideology, and so do Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, the UAE… We have 23 ideologies, while they have one. That country exists in the Middle East. We cannot deny this. So there is an occupation and so on… These things happen. They say that Alexandretta belongs to Syria, but Turkey has it.
Host: What is Kuwait's position regarding the normalization of ties with Israel? As a Kuwaiti journalist, what's your take on this?
Ahmed Al-Jarallah: The media in Kuwait enjoys an open atmosphere, and some people use it to speak loudly against this normalization. But the State of Israel exists and only peace can kill it. We should be like the rest of the world, which has normalized its ties with Israel and coexists with it. Israel exists. Besides, the Palestinian cause has become a Palestinian-Israeli issue. It's no longer an Arab issue.
[…]
The Arabs no longer have anything to do with it. They must not repeat the mistake of 1947 [sic], when they sent armies to the occupied lands and to Israel. All of these [Arab] armies were defeated, and they came back with their tails between their legs. They did not accomplish anything. The [Palestinian] cause has remained unsolved for 70 years. Israel has only gotten stronger while we have gotten weaker.
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