Qatar, Once Cut Off by Arab States, Wields Influence and Aid in Blockaded Gaza
On 5/27/21 at 4:29 PM EDT
Qatar, a small wealthy monarchy long subject to an embargo by a quartet of influential Arab states, has wielded both influence and assistance to the blockaded Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave whose fighters, led by the Hamas movement, recently engaged in an 11-day conflict with surrounding Israel.
In a phone call Thursday with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the Foreign Minister for Qatar s assistance in helping to secure the ceasefire between Israel, Hamas, and other parties in Gaza, and underscored the importance of bringing together international support for humanitarian and development efforts in Gaza.
Tuesday, 25 May, 2021 - 17:45
President Sisi receives the Qatari FM in Cairo. (Egyptian presidency spokesman) Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt’s president met Tuesday with Qatar’s chief diplomat in Cairo.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani agreed on intensifying joint consultation and coordination” to boost bilateral ties between the two nations, Sisi’s office said in a statement.
Sisi also received an invitation from Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit Doha.
The Qatari chief diplomat also held talks with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry that discussed “the positive development” in ties between the two countries, according to a statement by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
May 25, 2021
Qatar’s top diplomat visited Egypt on Tuesday in a further sign that relations are improving between the two states.
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo on Tuesday. The two discussed improving bilateral ties. More specifically, they talked about the Nile River dam dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia. Thani also thanked Shoukry for Egypt’s help in brokering the recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, according to the official Qatar News Agency.
Egypt, along with its allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, cut off relations with Qatar in 2017. The quartet alleged that Qatar was supporting terrorism, which Qatar denied. The dispute was also related to Qatar’s relatively friendly relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.
In 2020, the Trump administration successfully pushed four Arab nations - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco - to recognize the state of Israel in a.