Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Secretary of State of the United States of America H E Antony Blinken addressing a joint press conference in Doha yesterday. PIC: Amr Diab
Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that Israel’s policy of collective punishment for Gaza is unacceptable.
Addressing a joint press conference with Secretary of State of the United States of America H E Antony Blinken, the Prime Minister said that the priorities of Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, release of hostages, and work to limit the expansion of conflict in the region, which will have serious consequences if it expands.
He reiterated Qatar’s firm position in condemning all forms of targeting civilians. "I stress that killing innocent civilians, especially children and women, and practising the policy of collective punishment is unacceptable under any pretext,” he said.
He said that the only way to reach a peaceful and immediate solution to this crisis is to keep all channels of communication open with all concerned parties. “Resolving this crisis requires continuous and intense cooperation, and we value the regional and international efforts that will reduce the escalation.”
He added: “We all realise that we are facing a difficult reality and a stage that requires concerted efforts and endeavours ... we stress the need to strengthen our efforts with allies and partners, especially the US, in order to calm the situation and spare civilians from the consequences of the confrontations.”
He said that people in Gaza were facing a humanitarian crisis with no electricity, no water, shortage of food and medicines stressing upon the need to establish a humanitarian corridor for immediate aid to end the sufferings of civilians.
“We exchanged views on ways to open humanitarian corridors to ensure that relief and aid reach the Palestinian brothers stranded under bombardment, especially in light of the deteriorating conditions in the Gaza Strip.
“Qatar firmly believes in the importance of mediation and dialogue and considers this an integral part of our foreign policy. Qatar has always sought to keep channels of communication open with various parties in various arenas of conflict, which has contributed to consolidating the international position of the State of Qatar as a reliable partner in peace making.
“The absence of a just solution to the Palestinian issue will always accompany the absence of peace in this region, and the international community must press towards achieving a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, within the framework of the Arab Initiative that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
He said from the very first day of the current conflict, Qatar is keen to reduce the escalation in order to stop the bloodshed and save the region from the risk of sliding into a wider cycle of violence, adding that the price of that wider violence would be paid by the peoples of the region who are exhausted by wars and conflicts.
To a question about the de-freezing of Iranian funds related to the US-Iranian agreement to exchange detainees, he said: “Qatar is committed to any agreement to which it is a party, and no step is taken without consulting the parties.
Although the funds available today in Qatar have not been used, we are confident that the terms and mechanisms of the agreement are very clear.
But now we must focus on our main priorities in the region, which are achieving calm and reaching an end to the ongoing war against our brothers in Gaza.”
Regarding the political office of Hamas in Doha, he stressed that the office has been used from the beginning as a channel of communication and a means to bring peace to the region, and this is its purpose. “Qatar always keeps the channels of communication open and focuses on putting an end to this conflict.”
In turn, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he held constructive talks with Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
He expressed his country’s gratitude for cooperation with Qatar on many issues. He said, “Qatar is a reliable partner and has always been a close partner to the United States of America in many initiatives. We have worked together in returning Americans from Afghanistan and have also cooperated in humanitarian cases such as the earthquake in Türkiye and northern Syria”.
He renewed his country’s expression of appreciation for “the work undertaken by Qatar to secure the release of prisoners.”
He added that his meetings in Doha come at a difficult and important time in the region, noting that his country is currently working with Qatar to prevent the expansion of the crisis.
He continued: “We discussed all the details to prevent any party from expanding this crisis. We are also working to secure the release of prisoners, including American citizens, in cooperation with Qatar and various allies and partners in the region.”
