Palestinians came to Kuwait en masse following the establishment of the state of Israel and the resultant Palestinian exodus in 1948 - at the very time Kuwait required labour for expansion following the discovery of oil. The interaction of these two major developments created a unique position for Palestinians within Kuwait, which is the focus of this discussion. This paper explores the central role of Palestinians in the massive development of Kuwait, the politics of exclusion within the emirate and the resultant consequences for Palestinians, and the development of the Palestinian community within Kuwait - both the concept of it and its structure.