QATAR – Writing on his Twitter page in Arabic, former Qatari Prime MinisterHamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani specifically focused on the futureof Israelisand Palestinianslink>.
“Israelis have a right to live in their land in peace and safety, this ismy conviction. I’ve had this conviction for many long years, and I stilldo,” he noted.
He also pointed out that “we are timid in mentioning that the Palestinianshave their rights as well.”
The remarks came after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman toldthe Atlantic, “The Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to havetheir own land” and that a peace agreement is needed “to assure thestability for everyone and to have normal relations.”
In a separate interview with Time magazine, Bin Salman signaled SaudiArabia’s readiness to support a peace solution pertaining to thePalestinian-Israeli conflict.
“And when it happens… we’ll have good and normal relations with Israel andit will be the best for everyone,” he stressed.
He was echoed by Saudi King Salman who reiterated “the kingdom’s steadfastposition toward the Palestinian issue and the legitimate rights of thePalestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,”according to Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA.
Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani’s remarks came amid Saudia Arabia’s ongoingcrisis with Qatarlink>.In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emiratesbroke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supportingterrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. The four Arab statesthen handed over an ultimatum containing 13 demands to Doha, but Qatarefused to comply with them.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) strives to establish a stateon the territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including EastJerusalem, partly controlled by Israel.