Category: Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha, August 26

Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari affirmed that the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt have been engaged since the first day of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in serious mediation to end the aggression, based on the presumed seriousness of the parties to reach an agreement.

Dr. Al Ansari said, during the weekly media briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday, that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had previously announced its approval of the new ceasefire proposal, which largely aligns with previous Israeli demands. He added that Israel has not yet provided any official response to the mediators proposal, noting that the State of Qatar urges international parties to exert pressure on Israel to respond to the mediation proposal, as the ball is now in the Israeli court, which does not want to reach an agreement. He also said that the State of Qatar was still waiting for an official response, and that Israel must clarify its reservations about the proposed text before it.

He pointed out that Qatar and Egypt did not pay attention to the location of the negotiations as much as they focused on the main goal, which is the ceasefire, indicating that the circulated statements regarding changing the location of the negotiations are part of political maneuvering, while the most important issue remains the Israeli response to the proposal.

Dr. Al Ansari noted that about ten days have passed since Hamas responded with approval to the proposal without an official response from the Israeli side, confirming that the mediators are in continuous contact with the United States and other concerned parties to push the negotiation process forward.

The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stressed that the withdrawal statements from the negotiations are unofficial and are issued for internal political considerations in Israel, noting that the State of Qatar welcomes the participation of various international parties in the mediation efforts, but focuses on the main goal, which is the ceasefire.

He expressed the State of Qatar strong condemnation of the targeting of journalists in Gaza, pointing out that the targeting of more than one hundred journalists cannot be a mistake, but rather an attempt to obscure the facts.

Dr. Al Ansari called on the international community to exert more pressure on Israel to stop targeting journalists, ambulance crews, and civilians, stressing that those who kill journalists either hide facts or commit crimes they seek to cover up.

In another matter, the Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the continued Qatari mediation efforts in regional and international files, including supporting the peace process in the Republic of the Congo, expressing the State of Qatar gratitude to all parties involved in this path, and confirming its commitment to continue its efforts to reach an agreement.

At the beginning of the briefing, Dr. Al Ansari reviewed the most prominent activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the week, including the meeting of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, at the first meeting of the Coordination Council for Strategic Partnership between the two countries, held in Doha.

He also referred to His Excellency meeting with HE the member of the US Congress Senator Joni Ernst, and with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Constantinos Kombos, noting that HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will leave Doha on Thursday heading to Cairo to lead the Qatari delegation at the sixth session of the Joint Higher Committee between the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In the same context, Dr. Al Ansari mentioned that HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi chaired the Qatari delegation at the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

His Excellency also met on the sidelines of the meeting with HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Fuad Hussein, while HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, met with officials from the Republic of South Africa.

Additionally, the State of Qatar announced the success of its mediation in reuniting a new group of children with their families in Russia and Ukraine, bringing the total number of children reunited with their families since the beginning of the mediation efforts to 107 children. 

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Jeddah, August 25 

The State of Qatar took part Monday in the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to consider the continuing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, convened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, led the State of Qatar’s delegation to the session.

In the State of Qatar’s statements before the session, His Excellency said the Palestinian cause remains central for the Islamic nation, which grapples today with dire challenges and threats, triggering this emergency convention amid the unprecedented escalation of the Israeli aggression against the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Over a million humans face systematic starvation crimes and a tight blockade, amid the announcement of an Israeli plan to militarily take over the entire Gaza Strip to impose a new forced reality that reconsolidates the occupation in unconscionable breach of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, Al Muraikhi added.

He stressed that the State of Qatar confirms its flat-out rejection and condemnation of all the Israeli unlawful practices, in terms of any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their territories whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or the occupied Jerusalem, along with the policies Israel pursues to expand settlement, and cautions against the menacing consequences of these kinds of policies and plans on regional and global security.

Al Muraikhi reiterated the State of Qatar’s condemnation of the latest crime to displace the Palestinian journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in killing six of them, among them five who were working for Al Jazeera network.

It is no doubt that targeting media practitioners represents an egregious violation of international humanitarian law and a deliberate attempt to muzzle the voice of truth, which, at the end of the day, exposes the Israeli occupation’s crimes, His Excellency underlined.

Al Muraikhi further expressed the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the assaults on medical personnel and paramedics who operate in profoundly tough humanitarian conditions to save lives, since this move constitutes a double crime against humanity that requires holding the perpetrators to account and ensuring full protection for those medical practitioners.

The unabating Israeli military transgressions and disregard for humanitarian and legal principles are emboldened by inaction on the part of the international community to uphold its responsibilities and encourage impunity, His Excellency underlined.

Accordingly, His Excellency said, there is a desperate need for immediate and effective international action to bring the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the entire occupied Palestinian territories to an end, lift the unjust blockade imposed on Gaza immediately, allow the unhindered and unconditional flow of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, ensure protection for civilians and infrastructure, and enable relief organizations to undertake their duties based on international humanitarian law.

In addition, HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s undertaking to diligently continue its efforts alongside the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States to reach a lasting ceasefire, ensure the release of hostages and prisoners as a springboard for a serious political path toward the two-state solution, culminating in the establishment of the independent Palestinian State on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Al Muraikhi underscored the importance of executing the outcomes of the High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, convened in New York and co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.

Finally, His Excellency added that the State of Qatar reiterates its commendation and welcome of the decisions taken by the nations that declared their recognition of the Palestinian statehood, as positive steps that align with international legitimacy and support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to have their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar

Source: Government of Qatar