October 1990, Page 33

A Palestinian View

Palestinians and the Gulf Crisis: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

By Bishara A. Bahbah

Although Palestinians are not a direct party to the conflict in the Gulf, the outcome of the Gulf crisis will shape the course of Palestinian history.

Why?

The Palestinian people are already paying a heavy price for their apparent support for Iraq in the Gulf.

Kuwaitis have accused Palestinians living in Kuwait of having been a fifth column for Iraq. Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf countries have expressed extreme displeasure with the Palestinian vote during the Emergency Arab League summit that was convened in early August to deal with the Gulf crisis. The state of Palestine and Libya were the only two countries that voted with Iraq. The resulting displeasure will eventually affect formal and private aid to Palestinians from those countries, estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

A High Price to Pay

Aside from a precipitious drop in financial support from these countries, there are an estimated one million Palestinians living in the Gulf area. Those living in Kuwait, approximately 350,000, have already seen a significant portion of their savings, mostly in Kuwaiti dinars, lose over half of its value. Moreover, their sources of livelihood have been jeopardized with the Gulf at the brink of war. The combination of these factors has led to a significant decline in the value of remittances to their families in the occupied territories.

More importantly, since the eruption of the Gulf crisis, media coverage of the intifada has almost ceased, with the exception of the coverage of Palestinians' reaction to events in the Gulf. And almost all efforts toward finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict have ceased.

Given the price Palestinians are made to pay, why have the Palestinian masses supported Saddam Hussein and Iraq?

First, it is heartening for most Palestinians to see an Arab leader standing up to the world. Saddam Hussein's behavior has ignited Arab nationalism throughout many parts of the Arab world.

Second, Saddam Hussein is willing to take on Israel if threatened. In fact, he has warned that he would destroy half of Israel if the latter were to attack Iraq.

Third, many Arabs deplore the Gulf countries' decision to seek U.S. military assistance. After all, the United States, through its military, political and financial support, is the country that makes it possible for Israel to maintain its occupation of Arab lands.

Fourth, Saddam Hussein has promised to share with the underprivileged Arab people the wealth of the rich Arab countries. Palestinians would presumably top the list of the beneficiaries. Although Arab Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, but also including Kuwait, have provided financial assistance to the Palestinians, Palestinians consider it "peanuts" compared to their overall wealth.

Few Arabs or Palestinians delve into Iraq's reasons for invading Kuwait.

Ironically, few Arabs or Palestinians delve into Iraq's reasons for invading Kuwait. Their interest and concerns are directed toward the international reaction to its occupation of Kuwait.

Where does the PLO fit into all of this? The PLO has attempted to be a neutral mediator in the crisis. However, its vote with Iraq during the Arab League summit has disqualified it as a mediator in the eyes of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, if the PLO had not voted with Iraq, it would have lost all its influence with Saddam Hussein.

Notwithstanding, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has worked incessantly since the beginning of the crisis to try to contain it and avoid the outbreak of war. President Arafat proposed a "peace plan" under which U.S. and Western forces in the region would be replaced by U.N. troops, sanctions against Iraq would be ended and the resolution of Baghdad's claims to Kuwait would be linked to the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other regional problems. This plan has been rejected by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The PLO, at the same time, is aware of the strong feelings of a majority of Palestinians and cannot afford to alienate its constituency. The PLO finds it hard to support the intervention of U.S. troops and will not, under any circumstances, side with U.S. military intervention against an Arab country.

The stakes are high for the Palestinians. If Iraq is defeated, the wealthy Arab countries, as well as Egypt, are going to penalize the PLO and the Palestinians for their apparent siding with Iraq. Nevertheless, the Palestine question is central to most Arabs and few Arab rulers can disregard that reality. At the same time, if Iraq prevails or the crisis is defused, how that will affect Israeli behavior and willingness to withdraw from occupied Arab lands remains to be seen.

Willy nilly, the Palestinians are faced with an unenviable situation, between a rock and a hard place.

Bishara A. Bahbah holds a Ph.D. in international relations from Harvard University. He is editor-in-chief of a Washington-based Palestinian monthly magazine.