Qatar's Foreign Ministry rules out normalization with Israel
Al-Thani says that Qatar 'lost hope' after the 2008-2009 Gaza War
Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani ruled out on Wednesday the possibility of normalizing relations with Israel.
Al-Thani, in an interview with Axios, said that although Qatar maintained ties with Israel "when there were prospects for peace" with the Palestinians, his country "lost hope" after the 2008-2009 Gaza War.
He said that Doha would continue its "working relationship" to help with Palestinian people, but that it's difficult to envision joining the Abraham Accords "in the absence of a real commitment to a two-state solution."
The Abraham Accords saw normalization between Israel and other Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Qatar, since 2018, periodically provided millions of dollars in cash to Gaza's Hamas rulers to pay for fuel, fund infrastructure projects, and provide aid to Gazan families.
Doha also sent suitcases of cash into the territory, contributing to the salaries of roughly 50,000 employees of the Hamas-run government. Israel's new government vowed to stop that arrangement.
Al-Thani also said Qatar is working to "bridge any gaps" in indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, adding he is "very concerned" about the negotiations ending in failure, Axios reported.
"We don't want to see a nuclear race in our region," he added.
He also said that the US and Qatar have a "strong institutional relationship."