play videoplay video

Video duration: 41 minutes 35 seconds 41:35

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that the negotiations that took place yesterday, Sunday, in the French capital, Paris, regarding a possible prisoner exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, had achieved progress, stressing that the two parties must exploit this opportunity in order to reach a formula that ends with a cessation of... Always fighting.

He added - during a discussion session at the Atlantic Council on Monday - that Qatar is not a party to the conflict, but rather “a mediator who does not have the influence that some talk about over the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).”

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman said that the State of Qatar moved from the first moment to recover the Israeli prisoners, and that diplomacy had already succeeded in returning 109 prisoners late last November, before matters took a more complicated path.

Positive progress in negotiations

Regarding the conditions set by Hamas for the resumption of negotiations, the Qatari Prime Minister indicated that the movement was requiring a complete cessation of fighting before commencing negotiations, “but I believe that we have moved to a stage that may lead to a permanent ceasefire in the future, and this is what we are all seeking.” ".

He said that his main role as a mediator is to bring together the parties in order to stop the bombing of the Gaza Strip, prevent the killing of more civilians, and return the prisoners to their families.

He added, "I believe that what we are currently witnessing in Gaza will not lead to the return of the prisoners, and yesterday we made good progress in returning things to the basic path."

But he stressed that the situation does not mean reaching a quick agreement, and said that the State of Qatar will present the proposals to Hamas in the hope that it will agree to them, “because this is the only way to stop the war and return the hostages.”

Regarding the possibility of the United States responding to the attack that occurred on the Jordanian-Syrian border yesterday, Sunday, which resulted in deaths and injuries among American soldiers, Sheikh Mohammed said that what happened is condemnable because it violates Jordan’s sovereignty and obstructs the efforts of the international coalition to combat ISIS.

He added that what happened is part of the escalation that has occurred in the region for three months, and we hope that it will not affect the efforts we are making, stressing that Qatar does not encourage any attacks in the region.

He added, "Any American response will increase regional tension, and the only way to stop the escalation is to stop the aggression against Gaza."

Stopping the war is a regional demand

He stressed that stopping the war is no longer only a Palestinian demand, but rather a regional demand. Because it is not acceptable for an entire people to be punished because of an operation carried out by a specific group, adding that Qatar will try to search for another way to pass the potential deal if Hamas rejects the current proposal.

He pointed out that each party submitted a proposal, noting that the mediators are trying to reconcile these proposals, “which is not an easy issue.”

The Qatari Prime Minister commented on what is being said about his country’s influence over Hamas by saying, “I hear what some people are saying about this influence, and you must understand that Qatar is playing the role of mediator and bringing the two parties together for understanding and searching for solutions to problems, but we are not a superpower that imposes solutions.” On one side or the other."

He added, "We are exploiting our relations to bridge the gap between the two parties. We succeeded in this during this war, and we succeeded in it between the United States and Iran, and between Russia and Ukraine, and this is the way Qatar works."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman stressed that Doha’s hosting of a political office for the movement “does not mean that it should be used as a pressure card, because we play an honest and transparent role, and we make positive use of these offices in coordination with the United States, and we have succeeded through this office in bringing about a ceasefire in previous wars.” "As happened before with the Taliban."

Use of aid weapons

Regarding some countries stopping funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Sheikh Mohammed said that talk about the participation of some of the agency’s employees in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation must be subject to investigation so that the agency takes the necessary measures in accordance with its charter, adding, “The role of the United Nations and the role of UNRWA is important.” "Very well, the agency's funding cannot be cut for the behavior of a small group, and we have not yet confirmed the veracity of these allegations."

In response to a question about Israel’s agreement to reduce obstacles to the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, the Qatari Prime Minister said that it is unfortunate that Israel is using aid as a pressure tool in the negotiations.

He added, "What we are witnessing in Gaza is unprecedented. People are dying of hunger and have no shelter, and even the safe areas and corridors that were designated have been bombed."

Regarding developments in the Red Sea, Sheikh Mohammed said that Qatar is not currently mediating with the Ansar Allah Houthi group, but is engaged in a discussion with Iran regarding the regional scene, stressing that Qatar hopes that everyone will use their relations to stop the escalation and that the matter does not get out of control with regard to the Houthis. And obstructing trade in the Red Sea.

He said that navigation traffic is very important to Qatar, the region and the world, and it is unacceptable for it to be tampered with, adding, "But the situation is unfortunately boiling over and everyone is dancing on the edge, and what happened on the Jordanian-Syrian border is the result of attempts to undermine the security of the region and show the presence of pressure."

Netanyahu's criticism of Qatar

Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed said that he did not want to comment on these statements, and that Qatar expects anything from Netanyahu or others, but it fully understands its role and believes in it and is honest and transparent with everyone, and our role has proven that it leads to results.

Regarding Netanyahu’s rejection of the two-state solution, the Qatari Prime Minister stressed that the only way to bring peace to the region is the two-state solution, stressing that this solution is accepted by the entire region, but it requires partners from both parties.

He added that the Hamas movement was not an obstacle to the two-state solution after the Oslo Accords, noting that Israel is the one preventing this solution from being reached because it did not agree to it when it was proposed by the Arab initiative in 2002.

He added, "We support peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state living in peace side by side with Israel. We were the first Gulf country to open a trade exchange office with Israel after signing the Oslo Accords, but we closed it when the peace agreement was not implemented."

Regarding the necessity of removing Hamas from the Gaza Strip, he said that the only way to bring about peace is for the two peoples to live side by side with each other, and we are trying to provide solutions for those who do not accept this matter.

Regarding Hamas’ future role, Sheikh Mohammed stressed that Qatar’s position is that the Gaza Strip cannot be separated from the West Bank, and that there must be one government chosen by the Palestinians to rule them both, adding, “Neither Qatar nor anyone else can impose dictates on the Palestinians.”

Regarding the disarmament of the future Palestinian state, he said that any peace plan must include security guarantees for both parties so that neither threatens the other.

He said that Qatar condemns any attack on women, and that it is making every effort to free the hostages, which we did from the first moment, but things went in another direction, and then we took a path that led to the launch of the first group.

He added, "My message to the hostages' families is that we are committed to releasing the rest of the hostages, and His Highness the Emir - Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani - directed that every effort be made to achieve this goal."

He continued, "We are committed to saving innocent lives, regardless of the noise that is raised here or there."

Regarding his vision of the region’s shape in five years if the Qatari mediation succeeds, Sheikh Mohammed said that this depends on the results of the mediation, adding, “If the war ends and we return to the previous situation that separates Gaza and the West Bank and there is no hope for a political solution, the region will remain hostage to some political movements here and there.” “Then the situation will be much more difficult after five years, and this means that we may see a new war.”

He added, "In fact, we do not see a positive perspective in this regard, but if we see an opportunity, we want an international commitment to the two-state solution and to a peace process through a clear path that will achieve the Palestinian state, and then the prospects will be better in the future."

Regarding Qatari-American relations, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman said that it is an alliance that was built decades ago, and that it does not depend on regional security and defense, but rather extends to huge investments between the two countries, pointing to the partnership between the two countries in the fields of energy and education.

He pointed out that Qatar tries to provide assistance to Washington in any conflict when it sees the opportunity, adding, "We view this matter as strengthening the partnership that serves the two countries."

He concluded by saying that the regional efforts currently underway are working to explore the problems, adding that Qatar is following what is happening in order to put things on a path that ends with a two-state solution that will change the entire region.

Source: Al Jazeera