Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on Sunday commented on the unfolding ‘Qatargate’ scandal in Israel, denying allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisors were employed by the Qatari government.
“Our contracts are with an American media company, and they are open and transparent,” the prime minister stated.
The purpose of these contracts is to “act against the media campaign launched against Qatar in Israel and to facilitate communication with the families of the kidnapped” hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, he added.
During a press conference held with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on Sunday, Al Thani noted that he noticed some progress in Thursday’s Gaza ceasefire talks.
“We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s the key point of the entire negotiations,” he said.
Al Thani didn’t say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.
He added that Qatar will continue its efforts to resume the ceasefire “despite obstacles and political blackmail,” according to Qatari-owned, London-based outlet Al Araby Al Jadeed.
He said that Hamas “proposed the release of all hostages in exchange for a number of prisoners, but on conditions unacceptable to Israel, which wants the hostages without an end to the war.”
“When you don’t have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin,” he added.
Turkish Foreign Minister comments
Fidan asserted that “there is no alternative but to pressure Israel to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, and Qatar has made tremendous efforts in this regard.”
Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas have shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.
Additionally, Al Thani also denied any allegations that Qatar is linked with anti-Zionist protests on US campuses, stating that the “absurd accusations” are “baseless.”
“We have never been a party to antisemitism,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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