The pathway to peace between Israel and Qatar is still open as the Prime Minister of Qatar stated on Friday that his country does not “have a war with Israel,” but underlined the necessity for the Jewish state to achieve a peace accord with the Palestinians. When questioned about a potential Saudi-US-Israeli agreement during a Q&A session after delivering a speech in Singapore, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani remarked that Qatar’s stance on any such arrangement has remained unchanged for years.
“We didn’t hear anything officially about any talks on Saudi-Israel, but at the end of the day, Qatar maintains the same position, that foreign policy decisions of each member state of the GCC — it’s based on their own assessment, on their own evaluation,” expressed Al-Thani, alluding to the Gulf Cooperation Council, a entity that also comprises Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, who forged diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords.
According to the prime minister, Qatar holds the view that the most suitable path ahead is represented by the 2001 Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative. This initiative proposed achieving normalization between Israel and the Arab world on the condition that Israel withdrew from the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, and permitted the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
“At the end of the day, we don’t have a war with Israel, the Israelis have an occupation over the Palestinians,” Al-Thani said. “So any agreement with the Israelis doesn’t represent peace, the peace [could be] represented only between them and the Palestinians.”
At present, Qatar and Israel lack diplomatic relations. Nevertheless, in the previous year, the two countries collaborated to facilitate the participation of Israeli visitors in the World Cup soccer tournament. This collaboration included enabling the inaugural direct charter flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Doha.
Jerusalem engages with Doha to grant permissions for the distribution of Qatari aid in the Gaza Strip, but details on such contacts are rarely publicly confirmed. Qatar hosted an Israeli trade office from 1995 to 2000, but is seen as unlikely to join other Gulf states in establishing full ties with Israel, due to its own relationship to Iran.
In his speech in Singapore on Friday sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Al-Thani also referenced the role his country — which has strong relations with the US — has played in brokering regional deals.
Describing Qatar as “a small state in a turbulent neighborhood,” the prime minister highlighted Doha’s commitment to peace facilitation as a means to bolster global peace and security — a central pillar of Qatar’s foreign policy for over 25 years.
He also emphasized Qatar’s role as a mediator in the recent prisoner swap deal between Iran and the US.
Al-Thani underlined that his country’s distinct position has enabled it to establish “trustworthy channels of communication” among conflicting nations, leading to significant ceasefires, dialogues, and peace and security arrangements.
Qatar has frequently acted as an intermediary in brokering ceasefires between Israel and Gaza during periods of heightened conflict, owing to its close ties with Hamas.
Optimistic prospects in the coming times may pave the way for further enhancement of Qatari-Israeli relations, resulting in what can potentially become a stronger bond between the two nations.
