Kuwaiti MPs seek preemptive ban on dealing with Israel

The bill seeks to ban all forms of "dealing, establishing ties or contacts with the Zionist entity and opening Israeli offices of any type at any level, whether directly or indirectly."

It also seeks to prohibit government agencies, individuals and companies from striking agreements and protocols with Israel and from holding meetings with Israelis.

US-ally Kuwait has so far resisted pressure from Washington on Gulf states to end their boycott of Israel, and has repeatedly said it will be the last Arab state to establish ties with the Jewish state after a comprehensive peace deal.

The bill, which must be passed by parliament and accepted by the government to become law, also calls for a travel ban to Israel by Kuwaiti citizens and officials.

It stipulates a prison term of between three and 10 years and a fine exceeding 17,000 dollars for violators. No date has yet been set for debating the bill in the opposition-dominated parliament.

Qatar is the only state in the Gulf that hosts an Israeli trade mission, while neighbouring Bahrain in 2005 lifted a decades-old ban on the import of Israeli products.

The Kuwaiti MPs cited Israel's continuing refusal to implement international resolutions and its "barbaric" aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a reason for proposing the bill.

They also cited last summer's Israeli assault on Lebanon and the "savage destruction" of that country's infrastructure, in addition to the "ongoing Israeli works around the Al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem.

Palestinians and Muslims worldwide have denounced Israeli excavations and planned construction work for allegedly endangering the foundations of the mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site.

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