A former Kuwaiti Minister of Information called for a “Palestinian spring” to “oust” the Palestinian leaders that control the West Bank in a June 11 appearance on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya Network.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported that the former minister, Sami Al-Nesf, said that the current issues that Palestinians face stem from Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, “placing a losing bet on Hitler” during World War II. “The more mistakes he made, the more they clung to him. It became a kind of model followed by those who came after him.” Al-Nesf argued that Yasser Arafat similarly clung to power despite wronging Jordan, destroying Lebanon “to the point where Lebanon renounced the actions of the Palestinians” and siding with the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein over Kuwait in 1990.
The host then asked Al-Nesf about “the current Palestinian leadership in the West Bank.”
“I think that they all should be replaced, in order to put an end to the repression of Palestinians,” Al-Nesf replied. “Today, in the Gulf, we cannot afford to deal with the issues of others. We face security problems, some of which have taken down countries much larger than us. Some are threatening to create an Arab Spring here, or a Gulf Spring. I say why not create a Palestinian Spring that will oust those leaders?”
Former Kuwaiti Minister of Information Sami Al-Nesf: The Palestinian Problem Cannot Be Solved Until the Palestinian Leadership Is Replaced; Why Not Create a ‘Palestinian Spring’ and Oust Those Leaders? @Salnesf #Hamas #Fateh #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/DHjJLqiS4X
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 20, 2021
The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted that Al-Nesf’s remarks were “clear, honest advice for Palestinians from [a] fellow Arab leader.”
Clear, honest advice for Palestinians from fellow Arab leader https://t.co/GIZ04j3Iwf
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) June 24, 2021
The Jewish Policy Center also tweeted that Al-Nesf “gets it.”
Kuwait former minister gets it. "Amin al Husseini placed a losing bet on Hitler… Arafat wronged… Jordan & Lebanon… Palestinians took Saddam over Kuwait… current leadership should be replaced" https://t.co/Ir5DFURtYQ
— Jewish Policy Center (@thejpc) June 23, 2021
Al-Nesf has previously criticized Palestinians leaders for repeatedly turning down peace agreements with Israel, including the most recent proposal from former President Donald Trump, arguing that the Palestinians have lost every time their leaders have rebuffed such peace deals.
Former Kuwaiti Information Minister Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: The Palestinians Made a Mistake by Rejecting the Deal of the Century; Every Time They Reject an Offer, They End Up Losing pic.twitter.com/dqrNiFsbuD
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 31, 2020
