Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during the interview with Al Jazeera.
Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that the issue of ending the war is a clear provision in Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
He said that the issue of withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) requires clarification and work, which should mainly be discussed between the Palestinians and the Israelis, but also within an international legal framework, most likely the UN Security Council.
In an interview with Al Jazeera aired yesterday, the Prime Minister said that the issue of reconstruction is also mentioned, as well as Palestinian administration, though these need further clarification and will be discussed with the American side.
“I believe matters are still at an early stage and need development. We are trying to shape this path into one that achieves our goals and preserves Palestinian rights.
“If our Palestinian brothers accept this plan, there will be an active role for Arab and Islamic countries. Everyone is willing to participate in supporting the Palestinian people. Aside from that, there has been no distribution of roles yet.”
The main issue, he said, requiring international participation is technical support and financial assistance for reconstruction, and all countries are ready to contribute if there is an agreement that brings peace to Gaza.
“There are no perfect proposals. Unfortunately, the current situation comes in the wake of the Israeli attack on Qatar and the interruption of our mediation efforts, as well as Hamas leadership’s withdrawal from talks.
“Things are still not mature enough for us to know whether this path will achieve progress. But we hope, as we heard from the negotiating delegation, that they will deal with the matter responsibly.”
Regarding Israeli apology, he said, “Qatar was attacked, although we were the mediators. This was a grave violation of Qatar’s sovereignty. It was our duty to protect our national security and ensure guarantees that such an act will not be repeated, and to preserve Qatar’s sovereignty.
“We did not attack anyone, nor did any rocket came from us towards Israel. An apology is not a favour—it is the least right. What matters most to us now is a pledge of non-aggression and non-repetition of such a violation.”
“Our priority, after safeguarding our country, is to see how we can contribute positively to ending the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people. The images we see daily from Gaza—of starvation, displacement, and killing—show that these crimes continue without any real will to stop them. We have exhausted almost every means, but still nothing has stopped it. We want a path that leads to stability in Gaza again, preserving the dignity of its people. Our goal, is to help our Palestinian brothers reach a just and comprehensive solution. This has always been Qatar’s policy, and we will continue to support the Palestinians until their state is established. This is their right, not a favour from anyone.”
Regarding recent diplomatic efforts particularly in New York, the Prime Minister said, “The continuation of the war, the continuation of famine, the continuation of killing, the continuation of displacement—these are the main issues we have been focusing on in the past week when we were in New York. There was work with the American side after the leaders’ meeting with President Trump, during which he spoke about the plan.”
“There was then joint work between us and them to raise observations about it. We presented our comments as Arabs and Muslims—some were taken on board, others were not. Generally speaking, if we are talking about the main goals, there are goals the plan has already started to achieve, which is ending the war. But there are other aspects that need clarification, discussions, and negotiations.” He added, “Our main focus is how to protect the people in Gaza. That is our primary concern. In the end, we are mediators. Yesterday, after President Trump announced the plan, we received it in the evening and handed it over to Hamas and the negotiating delegation.”
“Our discussion with them was general—there was no clarity on some of the points. But we hope that everyone will look at the matter constructively and that we can use the current momentum to end the war in Gaza.”
He further said, “What I want to stress is that, in the end, when Arab and Islamic countries worked with the American side, we put in all our effort to ensure the Palestinian people’s rights to remain on their land, to achieve statehood, and to realize the two-state solution in line with international legitimacy. Of course, we did not expect that everything would be accepted, but some points were. I believe we must build on this path and work to make it effective and successful.” He noted that there will be practical and implementation challenges, because there are still no details yet. “But once we enter negotiations in detail, these challenges will become clearer. At the same time, we must look at the opportunities. There are challenges, but also opportunities. The opportunity we have is a unified position: everyone agrees on stopping the war, preventing displacement, and ensuring the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army. These are the three main and central issues.”
He said the political path and political horizon are important for all Palestinians, in Gaza and in the West Bank. “We, as states, exerted all efforts to ensure something that at least acknowledges these rights for the Palestinian people.”
