Qatari PM says two-state solution is only viable way forward, Doha supports Israel’s right to secure borders

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani tells Israel’s Channel 12 television network that it is impossible to speculate as to the future of the Hamas terror group without looking at the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at large.

“It needs to be addressed as a whole. The whole issue is to find a sustainable path toward peace and where we can see Israel and Palestinians living side by side peacefully together and giving every assurance that both people will be secure,” he tells Channel 12’s Arad Nir in Paris.

He says Qatar believes the two-state solution to be the only viable way forward.

“Our region is not an easy region. It’s a very complex region. It’s turbulent, there are ancient wars, proxies, state actors, non-state actors and we’ve seen this go on and on…” Al-Thani says. “A two-state solution will be the only way forward [to have] a region that lives in peace together.

Responding to the fact that many Israelis are unwilling to live with the possibility that Hamas remain in charge of the post-war Gaza Strip, Al-Thani says he believes that the future of the Gaza Strip and its government “is a decision for the Palestinians to take,” but acknowledges that “the Israeli people also have the right to assurances of security on their border.”

“This is something we totally understand and will support,” he says.

He rejects accusations that Qatar is a partner to Hamas terrorism, arguing that Doha’s role as a regional mediator requires it to “have an open communication channel with everyone.”

By allowing Hamas’s political leadership to operate out of Doha, he says that Qatar has been able to “resolve conflict, to prevent conflicts from happening.”

Al-Thani also dismisses those who charge that Qatar has funded Hamas’s terror activity in Gaza by funneling money into the Palestinian enclave, and points out that the transfer of cash for humanitarian causes was fully coordinated with and supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government.

Since 2018 Qatar periodically provided millions of dollars in cash to pay for fuel for the Strip’s power plant, to pay Hamas’s civil servants and to provide aid to tens of thousands of impoverished families.

“When it comes to the criticism about Qatar and the propaganda around it, it’s unfortunate to see that our role, that we did for the good of the region and the stability of the region, being criticized by short-sighted people, politicians trying to exploit this for their own political advantage,” Al-Thani says.

“Those politicians criticizing our role — what did they do to bring them back?” he asks, referring to the hostages held by Hamas. “What did they do to ensure stability over there [in Gaza]? Besides talking and using us to score something politically.”

Regarding the possibility of future formal diplomatic ties between Doha and Jerusalem, Al-Thani is asked if he thinks he will ever visit Israel.

“It depends on [what] the way forward will be,” he says simply. “There are no conditions. We are talking about peaceful solutions, and whatever it takes to bring peace to the region, we will do it.”