Qatar’s foreign minister has alleged that Israel’s “settlements and crimes fuel the dangerous fire in the region”. Khaled Al-Attiyah made his comments in an interview with Al-Araby Television.
Stressing that the Palestinian cause is “alive in our hearts”, he insisted that it will never be abandoned. “Indeed, it is a reason for the problems in the Middle East,” he noted, “of which Israel is a part.” He accused Israel of not helping Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to fulfil his role.
Al-Attiyah said that Qatar is constantly in touch with Abbas and Hamas and is encouraging both sides to implement their agreements. There is, though, no new Qatari initiative for Palestinian national reconciliation.
The foreign minister told Al-Araby that Qatar stands by its decision to back the Arab Spring revolutions and tries to find the middle ground in those countries in an effort to support the Arab people.
Explaining the failure of the post-Arab Spring governments, he suggested that any administration formed after a revolution will fail because a lot is required of it and it can only provide a little. “The impatience and rush of the counter-revolutions brought about more blood, however, and one of Qatar’s principles is not to stand idle in the face of bloodshed.”
He pointed out that the government in Doha does not regard the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist organisation”, as the Egyptian authorities do. “All of the parties in Egypt need to meet half-way,” he said. “All we hope for is that all of the Egyptians unite. The goal is the stability of Egypt despite the political disputes.”