Qatar has reiterated its stance “in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause” just days after Morocco became the latest country to announce a normalisation of ties with Israel.
In a meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha on Monday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani confirmed Qatar’s stance on supporting peace on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, the two-state solution and legitimate international resolutions.
In a tweet, Sheikh Tamim also “emphasised the importance of unity among the Palestinian ranks”.
Abbas’s visit came at a time when a number of Arab countries have normalised relations with Israel, including Gulf states the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Last week, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalise relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Morocco the fourth Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months.
Moroccan King Mohammed told PA’s leader Abbas that Rabat stands by a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As part of the agreement, US President Donald Trump agreed to recognise Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, where there has been a decades-old territorial dispute with Morocco pitted against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a breakaway movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the territory.
Palestinians have been critical of the normalisation deals, saying Arab countries have set back the cause of peace by abandoning a longstanding demand that Israel gives up land for a Palestinian state before it can receive recognition.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani earlier said the Arab countries that have normalised ties with Israel have undermined efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
He stressed the need to form a united Arab front in order to put the interests of the Palestinians first and to end the Israeli occupation.
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