Expulsion of Palestinians from Kuwait (1990–91)

Before the Gulf War, the Palestinian population in Kuwait was 357,000, The Palestinian nationals had come to Kuwait in three different phases: 1948 (the First Arab–Israeli War and the Nakba), 1967 (the Third Arab–Israeli War), and 1973 (the Fourth Arab–Israeli War). ==Events==

Iraqi occupation During the subsequent Iraqi military occupation of Kuwait, some Palestinians fled for various reasons such as fear of persecution, food and medical care shortages, financial difficulties, and fear of arrest or mistreatment at roadblocks by the Iraqi Army. March 1991 expulsion Kuwait's campaign against the Palestinians was a response to the alignment of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and his Palestine Liberation Organization with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who had earlier invaded Kuwait. On March 14, 1991, 200,000 Palestinians still resided in Kuwait out of the initial 400,000. Palestinians were forced to leave Kuwait during one week in March 1991 after Kuwait was liberated from the Iraqi occupation. During a single week in March, the Palestinian population of Kuwait had been almost entirely deported out the country, 18 % of Kuwait population was deported. Kuwaitis said that Palestinians leaving the country could move to Jordan, since most Palestinians held Jordanian passports. According to The New York Times, Kuwaitis said the anger against Palestinians was such that there was little chance that those who had left during the seven-month occupation could ever return, and relatively few of those remaining would be able to stay. ==Aftermath==

Some of the Palestinians who were expelled from Kuwait were Jordanian citizens. In 2004, Kuwait put off a planned visit by Mahmoud Abbas, the second PLO official after Arafat. Palestinian officials initially denied reports that it had been caused by the PLO's refusal to apologize over its support of the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. On the first visit to Kuwait by a top Palestinian official since the 1990 invasion, Abbas stated, "I say, yes, we apologize to the Kuwait people over our stand toward Kuwait". In 2012, it was reported that 80,000 Palestinians lived in Kuwait. ==See also==