Doha: The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that Qatar was active diplomatically since the start of the latest events in Al Quds, especially when the provocations of settler groups began, followed by the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, and then the provocations in Al Aqsa Mosque.
HE Sheikh Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed that the State of Qatar has been a reliable mediator over the years, carrying out successful mediations. His Excellency also noted that the State of Qatar's ties with different parties, whether Hamas of Taliban, helped the region's security and stability.
This came in two separate televised interviews HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs with Al Araby TV and MSNBC, where he discussed a number of GCC and regional issues.
He said that everyone saw the value the State of Qatar provides when it conducted dialogues and played a mediating role with its diplomacy with various groups, noting that Qatar helped mediate many cease-fire agreements between Hamas and Israel, and stopped the conflict between the United States and the Taliban. His Excellency added that the State of Qatar is currently facilitating dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government. He indicated that the State of Qatar can play a role in providing a platform for the various conflicting parties to negotiate with each other in order to resolve all these disputes by peaceful means.
His Excellency reviewed the timeline of the recent events in Palestine and the resulting Israeli aggression against the people in Gaza. His Excellency said that the State of Qatar repeated the message of the importance of ending these provocations, as they may lead to violence and possibly a new war. His Excellency said that there was communication on the various international levels, whether with allies like the United States or other friendly nations, in addition to holding a ministerial meeting for at the Arab League in its current session chaired by the State of Qatar. His Excellency said that one of the outcomes of the meeting was to establish an Arab committee that examines the recent incidents, then raise its recommendations to the UN Security Council.
His Excellency said that there was also continuous coordination with regional partners and the regional states concerned with this issue, in particular with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab Republic of Egypt, before the war escalated in Gaza. His Excellency added that there was Qatari communication with Hamad and other political groups in Gaza, as well as with the Palestinian authority to try and reach a de-escalation. His Excellency added that these efforts were done in coordination with the Arab Republic of Egypt. His Excellency said the last few days saw a number of initiatives put forward, all of which were rejected by the Israeli side, before the Egyptian initiative gained the approval of all sides in the final two days.His Excellency said that Qatar communicated with the Palestinian parties to encourage them to accept the initiative as a temporary de-escalation step.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that there were no compromises that had to be made, saying that the ceasefire is connected to conditions and latest developments in the West Bank and Al Quds in particular. His Excellency added that the Palestinian parties have concerns that the de-escalation can lead to more provocations in Al Quds, which may rise again.
On the long-term solution that can guarantee the rights of Palestinians, His Excellency said that this will be something the international parties will have to work towards. His Excellency stressed that Qatar's message was that today's solution is temporary so long as the Israeli provocation continue without regard for its international commitments, which could lead to more violence and wars. His Excellency added that the ongoing siege on Gaza cannot be ignored, noting that the international community has not urged all sides to return to negotiations. His Excellency also highlighted that there wasn't a comprehensive vision for a peace process following the Arab Peace Initiative, which Israel has not considered.His Excellency said that Arab countries consider the initiative a fair resolution that establishes two countries and is fair to the Palestinian people. His Excellency noted that the Palestinian authority tried countless times to work in accordance to that framework to no avail. His Excellency said that Qatar sees there was a sense of alertness on the international stage regarding the importance of a peace process, following the recent events that occurred with the Palestinians.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the current ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was a temporary solution that doesn't deal with the root causes of the issue. His Excellency stressed that there is a need to maintain that ceasefire by stopping the provocations, allowing Palestinians to pray in mosques and churches without obstacles, ending the removal of people who live in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and dealing with the damages in Gaza as a result of the war and Israeli attacks. His Excellency also stressed that it was important to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in Gaza as fast as possible.
He stressed that the Arab Peace Initiative became an acceptable minimum for all Arab countries and the Palestinian people, that can be a starting point. His Excellency noted that Qatar does not believe that any initiative is beyond change, but can be discussed between the parties and must achieve justice for the Palestinian people.
His Excellency said that the Arab Peace Initiative is the available fair solution, along with the related international resolutions, and the efforts of the Quartet on the Middle-East which the State of Qatar agrees with. His Excellency said that any change that occurs regarding the initiative must be agreed upon by the parties involved, stressing that the Palestinians are the ones most affected in that regard.
On whether the State of Qatar contacted the Israeli or American sides following the bombing that targeted the Qatar Red Crescent Society's (QRCS) headquarters in Gaza, His Excellency said that communication with Israel happens in the framework of Qatar's humanitarian projects in Gaza. His Excellency said that Qatar has contact with the Israeli side and the Palestinian parties during times of tension. His Excellency said that Qatar expressed its denouncement of the act, noting that the targeting of humanitarian institutions is a violation of international law and International Humanitarian Law. His Excellency added that the targeting of a building that contained media offices in Gaza was also condemned. His Excellency noted that it was an attempt to censor media and prevent it from shedding light on the events and bombing in Gaza.His Excellency said that it was an unprecedented act that is unacceptable and condemned internationally.
He added that QRCS is a Qatari civil society organization, and is certainly studying its options that protects it against similar attacks in the future.
In response to a question about the Qatari grant for the reconstruction of Gaza and how to ensure that the money goes only to help the needy, His Excellency said it was important to recognize that the Palestinian people are not just Hamad, highlighting that there are 1.2 million people living in Gaza and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. His Excellency highlighted that there is a lot of suffering as a result of the war, and that there were many children who were killed in the war.
He noted that the State of Qatar has provided aid in the past ten years in a strict manner and has ensured the delivery of humanitarian projects and aid, noting that Qatar has built during those years 42,000 housing units, hospitals and roads. His Excellency also added that the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital for rehabilitation, which carried out 70,000 procedures in 2020 alone, was hit in the most recent war.
His Excellency said that over the past three years, Qatar provided its aid in very clear ways that were agreed upon between Qatar and the United Nations, with the Israelis also in agreement on that. His Excellency added that the process was very clear to them because the aid entered through their crossings. His Excellency said that 50% of that aid goes to buy fuel to provide electricity to the Palestinian people. His Excellency said that Qatar helped increased the electric power in Gaza from being available two hours a day to 16 hours a day. His Excellency said that the other 50% goes to the poorest families in Gaza, which are about 130,000 families, each family receiving $100. His Excellency stressed that a $100 per family, to families that are in desperate need amid rocket attacks, will be used to produce any rockets or support any group there.
His Excellency said that the State of Qatar has an approved mechanism. There is the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, which started its work since 2012, and this committee is implementing projects on the ground there according to a framework and mechanisms agreed upon, either with the United Nations or with the Israeli side that oversees the entrance of materials needed for these projects. His Excellency said that the Qatari projects are centered around building housing units to those who lost their homes, building the infrastructure in terms of roads, hospitals, and rebuilding schools, in addition to other programmes that provides education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid to those injured. His Excellency said that there were major projects in Gaza, including Qatari residential cities built recently in Gaza,that get destroyed by the war every time.
His Excellency said that there was a clear mechanism for delivering the aid. He also said that part of the aid is used to buy fuel for Gaza's electric utility, with electric power in Gaza improving from being available two hours a day to 16 hours a day, and even to a higher number of hours a day. As for aid provided to poor families, He said that the United Nations has access to the list of names who receive the aid, via a bank transfer to the bank accredited in Gaza. The aid to those families is symbolic in nature, given it is only a $100 per family. His Excellency said that there is additional support the State of Qatar is working on with the United Nations Development Programme on a quarterly program.
His Excellency highlighted that access to Gaza can be gained through only two crossings, the first is on the Arab Republic of Egypt's side, with the other on the Israeli sides. His Excellency expressed his thanks to Egypt for opening their crossing recently to provide aid to Gaza. His Excellency added that the past few years saw Qatari aid reach Gaza through the Israeli crossing, adding that they were aware that the situation in Gaza is leading more tension that everyone wants to avoid. His Excellency said that the State of Qatar appreciates the Palestinian Authority as it is the legitimate representative of the State of Palestine, but maintained that there was division in Palestine and that the State of Qatar has always called for unity and reconciliation, whether through elections or whatever way the Palestinians see is right. His Excellency said that the Palestinian Authority has a difficult time accessing Gaza, and said that the State of Qatar would certainly deal with the legitimate government if that changed in the future.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that there are a lot of demands that haven't been met in Gaza, such as disputes related to fishing, allowing the entrance of certain materials, and job opportunities. His Excellency expressed his regret that the Israeli side would every time say they would meet those demands before ultimately backing down.
About the type of pressures that Doha was previously subjected to, and whether its position is still consistent in the issue regarding the alliance or normalization of ties with Israel, His Excellency said that there are some Arab countries that have made normalization with Israel recently, and stressed that the State of Qatar does not interfere in the affairs of other countries. His Excellency said that Qatar and Israel opened a trade bureau when the country felt there was hope of reaching peace based on a two-state solution with Israel. His Excellency added that Qatar had an experience from the nineties until the war in 2008 when Qatar decided to close the bureau after failing to see any positive impact the relations with Israel helped in reaching a resolution with the Palestinians. His Excellency added that Qatar does not plan to normalize relations so long as there is no hope for a peace process in with the Palestinian side. His Excellency noted that the reason for the Arab countries boycott of Israel is what happens to the Palestinian people.
His Excellency added that with respect to the State of Qatar, that reason remains and there is nothing yet to change this approach. His Excellency maintained however that, if there is a clear peace process based on foundations like the Arab Peace Initiative that the Palestinian people are satisfied with, the State of Qatar could then reconsider its position. His Excellency said that the United States did not pressure the State of Qatar in that direction, but did communicate that normalization would contribute in pushing the peace process forward and will help spread peace in the region. His Excellency also said that Qatar expressed its view that normalization with Israel would not be a catalyst at this time, until there is a clear path towards a peace process with the Palestinians. His Excellency also said that there has been no indication in Israeli behavior that they are interested in engaging in dialogue with the Palestinians.
