Odd bedfellows: North Korea, Arab world support Palestine for different reasons

2024-05-17 20:03:52      点击：767

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters gather for an anti-Israel rally to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza in Tehran's Palestine Square, Oct. 20. North Korea has joined hands with the Arab world to support Palestine in a coalition against Israel and the U.S. But they have different reasons for their opposition, according to experts. EPA-Yonhap

For NK regime, ‘persecutor of all religions,’ Hamas is just another anti-US comrade: expertsBy Jung Min-ho

Many countries in the Middle East as well as North Korea have found themselves on the same side as outspoken critics of Israel over its war against Hamas. But the Arab nations and the regime in Pyongyang, a violent persecutor of all religions, have very different reasons for their opposition, according to experts on Thursday.

Speaking to lawmakers during their audit of the government the previous day, the National Intelligence Service said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently ordered officials to come up with ways to “comprehensively support Palestine.”

This revelation comes at a time when many Arab states are facing intensifying public and diplomatic pressure to distance themselves from the Jewish state and its key ally, the U.S., with some political leaders such as Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for all “Muslim and Arab countries” to unite.

Experts told The Korea Times that North Korea’s participation in the coalition may seem odd. They noted that the regime has no sympathy for Muslims or anyone with any faith and its support for Palestinians can only be understood through the prism of its anti-U.S. campaign.

“North Korea has long maintained a policy of strengthening the international anti-U.S. bloc. Palestine or Hamas is just another partner in that effort,” said Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank.

In fact, most Arab countries do not have cordial relations with North Korea. Iran and Syria, where anti-U.S. sentiment is the strongest in the region, are among the few exceptions.

Pyongyang has nonetheless been hostile toward Israel, which it views as a U.S. puppet. In its official encyclopedia, North Korea describes the first Arab-Israel conflict as “a war for justice and liberation” against American and Israeli “invaders.”

But analysts said North Korea’s support would not mean much for Palestinians and has no practical impact on the Israel-Hamas war.

“What would they be able to provide? Troops, weapons, food or medical supplies would all be helpful, but North Koreans don’t have much for themselves. Considering the heavy sanctions imposed, it won’t be able to provide support,” Oh said.

There are allegations that North Korean-made weapons have already been used by Hamas. It is possible that the weapons were transferred there several years ago. But speaking at a U.N. General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday (local time), Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the U.N., denied any involvement.

North Korea is one of the most dangerous countries for religious people. Rights experts said that officials mainly target Christians and followers of Shamanism. Anything about Islam is hardly known other than the Ar-Rahman Mosque in the Iranian embassy in Pyongyang. It is known as the country’s first and only mosque.

“I have spoken with thousands of North Korean defectors and checked its state documents. But I have never heard of anything about Islam there,” a rights expert at a state agency, who refused to be named, said. “But it is easy to find a case where a person is sent to a political prison camp for simply possessing a Christian Bible. I believe people with the Quran would also be punished by the same law if they are caught.”