Qatar rejects sympathy with Hamas
Qatar's head of government is currently recommending himself as a mediator in the release of Israeli hostages. Al Thani rules out sympathy with the terrorist organization. However, he is now counting on a "positive dynamic". The states in the region now have a duty to promote peace.
The Emirate of Qatar has appealed to the states in the region to promote a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. "It is time for us as a region to do our duty - and for Israel to fulfill its duty to make peace possible," said Qatari head of government Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). The agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip and a humanitarian pause in the fighting had "at least succeeded in creating a positive dynamic", he said.
"I hope that we can now build on this," said the head of government, who, in his own words, had experienced "intense days and weeks" as the lead mediator between the parties to the conflict. He expressed doubts that Israel could succeed in destroying the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas with the war in the Gaza Strip. "Whether we agree with it or not, it is part of society in Gaza and also in the West Bank," he said.
Al Thani explained that his country had intervened as a mediator to contain the conflict, which was a "real threat" to the entire region. At the same time, the Qatari head of government, who is one of the most influential men in the emirate, told the FAZ that his country had no sympathy for Hamas. "We sympathize with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause. We sympathize with the people who have been suffering for decades. And we will do everything we can to help the Palestinian people. Our support is not for political parties or political ideologies."
With regard to the Israeli government, Al Thani said that it was not necessary to like each other. He could not agree with a policy that refused to even consider the right of the Palestinian people to their own state and protected "criminal land grabbing by settlers" in the West Bank. "But in the end we have a working relationship."
"Disappointed by the Europeans"
In response to critics who accuse Qatar of supporting and financing Hamas, he said: "We don't take people who criticize us publicly and ask for help behind closed doors seriously." Qatar does indeed have close ties to Hamas. The leadership of the Hamas politburo, headed by Ismail Hanija, resides in the Qatari capital Doha. The emirate argues that this has been agreed with the West and Israel because otherwise Iran would recommend itself as the host. Qatari financial aid for the Gaza Strip is also internationally coordinated, according to Doha. The criticism from the West that Qatar is a "terror sponsor" is seen as bigoted.
Al Thani, who is also the emirate's foreign minister, also reproaches the Europeans for not criticizing Israel strongly enough for its conduct of the war in Gaza. "There seem to be different standards for obligations under international humanitarian law. I am sorry to have to say this, but there is great disappointment here," he told the newspaper.
- despite Qatar's lack of sympathy towards Hamas, the Emirate has played a crucial role in mediating the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
- The Israeli-Hamas agreement, which included a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, was seen by Al Thani as a potential opportunity to foster peace and stability in the region.
- Al Thani's remarks came in the wake of accusations from some quarters that Qatar was acting as a "terror sponsor" due to its alleged support for Hamas, but he dismissed these claims as baseless and biased.
Source: www.ntv.de
