Root causes of Israel-Palestine dispute have to be addressed for lasting peace, says FM

HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani during the interview.

The root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute have to be addressed to ensure that the recently agreed ceasefire is maintained and the region does not slip back into the cycle of violence in another few years, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said. Answering questions in an interview on MSNBC channel, HE Sheikh Mohamed said the truce that has been brokered recently by Egypt and Qatar in close co-ordination with  the US is temporary and “does not address the root cause of the issue, which is the provocation that took place in Jerusalem and ultimately the absence of the prospect of the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis”. The minister said “right now there is a sense of urgency to make sure that we are safeguarding this deal by stopping the provocation, allowing the Palestinian people, Muslim and Christian, to practise their worship, in Al-Aqsa without any provocation, stop the eviction of people who are living in Sheikh Jarrah, and address the issue of the damage that happened in Gaza because of the war and the bombing by Israel... also making sure that humanitarian assistance is delivered as soon as possible to people who are in need over there.” HE Sheikh Mohamed was also asked, given the presence of Hamas in Gaza, on how to ensure that the $500mn grant from Qatar for Gaza’s reconstruction goes to the people in need and not for buying weapons or for any other violent means. He said in response, “First of all, we need to acknowledge that the Palestinian people are not only Hamas, we cannot reduce the Palestinian people living under occupation and consolidate them in just one group. “There are 2.1mn people living in Gaza, who are in desperate humanitarian need, there are people who are suffering and have suffered from this war, and there are a lot of children who have been killed in this war. “Qatar has been providing its assistance in terms of aid or reconstruction in the past 10 years in a very tight process, making sure that the projects and humanitarian assistance are delivered. “For example, in terms of projects of reconstruction, Qatar has built over the last 10 years 42,000 housing units, roads and hospitals, like the Hamad Hospital for rehabilitation. Only in 2020, it provided 70,000 medical services. The hospital was unfortunately damaged by the recent bombing.” Qatar Red Crescent, which is doing a lot of humanitarian activities over there, was also bombed in the recent attacks, he noted. “In the last three years, Qatar has delivered aid in a very clear process that has been agreed between Qatar, the United Nations, and the Israelis are agreeing, which is very clear because they are the only passage which was open,” he said. “Fifty per cent of this aid has been going for buying fuel to provide electricity for the Palestinian people. We have increased the power supply in Gaza from two hours to 16 hours per day. The other 50% goes to the poorest families in Gaza... 430,000 of the poorest families in Gaza, $100 per family. “I don’t think $100 per family, who are in humanitarian need, is a contribution to produce missiles or any weapons or for supporting a group that lives there because of the circumstances, while not taking note of the 2.1mn people living there under siege.” Asked about Qatar’s diplomacy with regard to groups like Hamas and the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said Qatar has been a trusted mediator over the years. “We have done different successful mediations in the region. Our relations with different parties are benefiting the stability and security of our region, whether it’s with Hamas or with the Taliban. As an ally of the United States, you need to have a friend to talk to your adversaries and opponents. This is where Qatar is serving as a platform. We have seen the benefit of Qatar talking to different groups. We have helped broker the ceasefire and there have been a lot of ceasefires brokered by Qatar in the last few years. Qatar has been working actively between Hamas and the Israelis. “For the US and the Taliban, we have stopped the conflict between them and are carrying out the dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government. So, this is where Qatar can play a role and provide a platform for different adversaries to talk to each other and try to resolve the problems peacefully.”