Kuwaiti inventor Jenan Al-Shehab withdraws from Dubai Expo over 'Israel Day' event
Kuwaiti inventor Jenan Al-Shehab withdraws from Dubai Expo over 'Israel Day' event
Kuwaiti inventor Jenan Al-Shehab is one of several Arab talents to have withdrawn from Dubai Expo 2020.
2 min read
The pavilion is meant to showcase UAE-Israel ties following the two countries' normalisation of relations inSeptember 2020 [Getty]
inventor Jenan Al-Shehab has cancelledher upcoming appearance at thein response to the exhibition holding an “Israel Day” pavilion.
The pavilion is meant to showcase UAE-Israel ties following the two countries' normalisation of relations inSeptember 2020 and was billed as reflecting"the openness in which Israel embraces innovation, culture, diversity and collaboration with our partners" in the .
Palestinians have condemned the UAE-Israelnormalisation agreement, saying that it rewards Israel while it continues to occupy the West Bank and besiege the Gaza Strip and opinion polls have shown overwhelming opposition among the Arab public.
Twitter users lauded Al-Shehab's withdrawal, which she announced in an Instagram post,as "an honorable model for Kuwait",and a "source of pride".
Palestinian academic and human rights advocate Ramy Abdu praised Al-Shehab’s stance in the face of “some influencers whitewashing the [Dubai expo]”.
في لحظة يتقاطر على زيارتها وتبييض سجلها بعض "المؤثرين"، هذا هو موقف الكويتية الريادية جنان الشهاب.
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu)
Al-Shehab,who has won several international awards, announced her boycottdays after the withdrawal of another Kuwaiti, tennis playerMuhammad Al-Awadi, whose decision won similar praise in his home country.
بعد انسحاب أبطال من من مسابقات مختلفة وآخرهم البطل الصغير :
— ﮼ابتسام ﮼آل ﮼سعد ﮼﮼🇶🇦 (@Ebtesam777)
المهندسة الكويتية جنان الشهاب تعلن انسحابها من بعد دعوة رسمية للاحتفال مع التي تلتزم الكويت بتسميته بدولة الاحتلال الصهيوني ..
أنتم فخر للإسلام كله ..
On the other hand, Emirati government loyalists criticised Al-Shehab, saying that her stance "had no value".
Al-Shehab’s boycott came after Palestinian singer snubbed an invite to the event earlier this week, saying that the UAE had "ignoredthe feelings and rights of the Palestinian people".
Kuwait does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and maintains a against normalisation. The Gulf country prohibits Israeli passport holders from entering the country, and its citizens from visiting Israel.
There are several laws in place to punish expressions of sympathy for Israel.
