Normalizing relations with Israel “cannot be the answer” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a Qatari official said, adding that Doha would not join other Gulf Arab states in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
“We don’t think generalization of this conflict was the key and therefore it cannot be the answer,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Lolwah al-Khattar told Bloomberg on Monday.
“The main part of this conflict is about the harsh conditions in which the Palestinian people live without a” country “,” people without a country, living under occupation. “
Al-Khattar’s statement came as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed their normalization deal with Israel at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.
The deal will normalize diplomatic, trade, security and other relations between Israel and the Arab states.
The Palestinians have called the deals made by these Arab states a serious betrayal, further undermining their efforts to gain self-determination.
The Palestinian leadership wants an independent state based on de facto borders before the 1967 war, in which Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip and annexed East Jerusalem.
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Israel will sign peace agreements with the UAE and Bahrain |
Arab states have long called for the withdrawal of Israeli-occupied land, a just solution for Palestinian refugees and a settlement that would lead to the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state in exchange for establishing relations with it.
Earlier this month, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told White House adviser Jared Kushner that Doha supports a two-state solution to East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state to end the conflict with Israel.
Working towards unity
Supported by the ‘normalization’ of relations between the Arab states and Israel, the fractured Palestinian Palestinian political parties are working diligently in multilateral negotiations to restore unity and make the division between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank more promising than previous efforts.
On Saturday, Palestinian groups led by Hamas and Fatah agreed on “unified territorial leadership,” including all parties, which would lead to “widespread popular resistance” against Israeli occupation.
It was called for Tuesday – when the signing ceremony takes place in Washington DC – a day of “popular rejection”. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are planning a “day of rage” demonstration, and other protests are expected outside the embassies of Israel, the United States, the UAE and Bahrain around the world.
The formation of a joint leadership group and progress in inter-Palestinian unity talks came after a long-awaited meeting on September 3 between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas’ Ismail Haniya, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhala and various Palestinian leaders. Organizations. Gatherings were held in Lebanon’s occupied West Bank and in Ramallah in Beirut.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions have been demanding such a meeting for years, but Abbas has always rejected the move, urging Hamas to respect previous unity.
GCC crack
In his interview, al-Khater also suggested that progress towards ending Qatar’s three-year-old boycott by some Arab countries could be made soon.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, and Doha claimed to have endorsed “terrorism” and said it was too close to Iran.
Qatar has consistently denied the allegations and said there is no legal basis for severing ties.
The rift has frustrated President Donald Trump’s efforts to form a united front against Iran in the Gulf, and a new round of US-led mediation was launched two months ago.
Al-Khater said efforts supported by Kuwait have not yet reached a tipping point.
“Over the last few months, there have been messages and messengers moving back and forth,” he said.
“It’s too early to talk about real progress, but” something new may unfold over the next few weeks, “he added, without giving further details.
“Negotiations have moved ahead with the demands of the boycott states, which have been put forward on the basis of any resolution,” he said.
At the top of the list was a reduction in diplomatic relations with Iran, but also the termination of military cooperation with Turkey and the closure of the Al Jazeera network.
“We are moving forward with this issue,” al-Khattar said. “The point we make is to engage constructively in unconditional negotiations and discussions,” which “does not require all parties to be involved together.”
Qatari official’s comments to U.S. Came days later Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington hopes Saudi Arabia and its regional allies will end the blockade.
Pompeo said it was important for Arab-Israeli deliberate action to better counter “growing malicious behavior” from Iran.
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