Kuwait has reconsidered a lawfare suit against Israel at The Hague over the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident in May 2010, according to a report published in the Hebrew-language Yediot Acharonot newspaper.
Kuwaiti parliament member Dr. Waleed Al-Tabtabaei had participated in the six-vessel flotilla that attempted to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza.
A passenger on board the Turkish terror-linked IHH-sponsored Mavi Marmara vessel, Tabtabaei initially sued the State of Israel for assault and humiliation by the IDF naval commandos who boarded the ship to redirect it to Ashdod port.
In fact, the vessel did not carry even one item of humanitarian aid for Gaza residents. Instead, many of the passengers aboard the ship turned out to be armed with weapons and prepared for battle. The vessel ignored Israel's repeated instructions to change direction and when soldiers boarded to take control, attacked the troops.
Tabtabaei demanded that the petition he first filed locally be referred to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Kuwaiti media reported the ministry was warned that Israel could win such a case because the Mavi Marmara broke international law by violating Israel's sovereign territorial waters, thus forcing Kuwait to pay Israel billions of dollars in compensation. As a result, the Kuwait Justice Ministry rejected his request.