Doha: Qatar responded cautiously on Wednesday to US President Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, saying it welcomed efforts to broker “longstanding peace” but warned that was unattainable without concessions to the Palestinians.
“Qatar welcomes all efforts aiming towards a longstanding peace in the occupied Palestinian territories, appreciating the endeavours of the current US administration to find solutions for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the state-run Qatar News Agency reported.
The plan grants Israel much of what it has sought in decades of international diplomacy, namely control over Jerusalem as its “undivided” capital, rather than a city to share with the Palestinians. The plan also lets Israel annex West Bank settlements. Qatar is a supporter of the Palestinian cause and has previously hosted leaders of Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip. The gas-rich Gulf state has provided millions of dollars in aid to Gaza to fund fuel deliveries to the territory’s sole power station and cash handouts to needy families. But Qatar is also a strong ally of the United States. It hosts Washington’s largest airbase in the region.
“Qatar reaffirms its commitment for supporting the Palestinian institutions, noting that peace cannot be sustainable if Palestinians rights in their sovereign state… including east Jerusalem, and the right of return are not preserved,” the state-run Qatar News Agency added. (AFP)
