Qatar confirmed that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel before resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. The statement on Tuesday came at a time when the UAE and Bahrain were signing normalization agreements with Israel in Washington.

Lolwah Al-Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister of Qatar, said in an interview with the US Bloomberg Agency: Normalization with Israel cannot be the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the solution lies in implementing UN Security Council resolutions, granting the Palestinians their rights, and finding a just solution to their cause.

She added that the essence of the conflict relates to the hard conditions under which the Palestinians live, as a people without a country, living under occupation (Israel).

When she was asked whether there was pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump on Qatar to sign an agreement with Israel, Khater said, the relationship with the United States is based on mutual respect, noting that the Palestinian cause and peace talks in Afghanistan are being discussed at the third Strategic Dialogue held in Doha.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, met Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US President, and his accompanying delegation in the Qatari capital Doha, early this month.

Thani affirmed his country’s position calling for a just settlement of the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy decisions, the Arab Peace Initiative and on the basis of the two-state solution which will achieve security and stability in the region.

The White House hosted on Tuesday the signing ceremony of the agreement to normalize full relations between the UAE and Bahrain on one hand, and Israel on the other hand, sponsored by US President Donald Trump.

Regarding the Gulf crisis, the Assistant Foreign Minister reminded that her country had confirmed since the beginning of the blockade in 2017 that it was an artificial crisis that could be easily avoided.

 

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