Kuwait orders 21-day preventive detention for TV host

Kuwaiti media personality Fajr Al-Saeed has reportedly been detained for 21 days pending trial after publicly advocating for normalising relations with Israel, according to Arabic media reports on Wednesday. 

The Ministry of Interior filed a formal complaint against Al-Saeed, accusing her of violating Kuwait’s Unified Law for Boycotting Israel, which criminalises any dealings with or calls for normalisation with Israel.

Al-Saeed is set to appear before a detention renewal judge in the coming days, where her release on bail may be considered. 

Legal proceedings are expected to continue in the coming weeks. The New Arab has approached Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior for comment. 

Al-Saeed sparked controversy nationwide for her outspoken support for normalising ties with Israel, which included a 2019 interview on Israeli television and subsequent tweets advocating for such relations.  

In her interview with Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, she defended her views, stating: “I didn’t suddenly establish normalisation. It’s not like I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, entered Israel, and declared, ‘Let’s normalise relations.’ I expressed a wish and a hope. You can take it or leave it, but it’s my personal opinion.”

Al-Saeed reportedly visited the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.  

Her pro-normalisation stance faced backlash within Kuwait and the wider Arab world.  

This scrutiny intensified after she stood in parliamentary elections in Kuwait in 2022, suffering a heavy defeat with only 433 votes. 

Kuwait firmly opposes normalising relations with Israel, maintaining its stance despite the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco establishing ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords brokered by the US. 

In 2021, the Kuwaiti parliament unanimously passed legislation reinforcing the prohibition of any form of normalisation with Israel. 

Kuwaiti law designates Israel as an enemy state, banning citizens from engaging in agreements or transactions with Israeli entities or individuals.

Officials have consistently emphasised Kuwait’s support for Palestine, asserting that any rapprochement would require Palestinian approval. 

Since the onset of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Kuwait has proposed mobilising international efforts to secure a ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian enclave and reaffirmed its support for Palestinian statehood.