Media Center

Doha - December 10 

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani affirmed that the current priority is to end the war in Gaza before talking about anything related to the post-war, stressing that targeting civilians is unacceptable regardless of their background, ethnicity, and religion.

During the first session of the Doha Forum under the title "What Now for the Middle East?" His Excellency said that Qatar worked relentlessly under the directives of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to ensure that the hostages were released safely through negotiations which were proven to be successful.

His Excellency added that the efforts that Qatar began weeks ago, which led to a humanitarian pause, resulted in the release of 109 detainees, 85 Israeli hostages, and 20 workers.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that all of them were released through negotiations and not through the Israeli military campaign, which has proven to be a failure, and 60 days after it began, none of the Israeli hostages have been released, indicating that there was one rescue operation that led to the killing of the hostage.

His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar, along with its partners, would continue their efforts to end this war, and they would never stop despite their knowledge of the existence of many complications.

His Excellency said that after the pause, Qatar felt very disappointed as the parties did not allow the opportunity for more efforts to continue with the pause. However, the State of Qatar will continue to work and will commit to future hostage release, yet Qatar wants the bombing of civilians to stop.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the two parties to the conflict always being prepared for such action, expressing regret for not seeing this readiness that was witnessed in the past weeks.

His Excellency reviewed the many challenges and issues that faced the mediation efforts at the beginning, including operational challenges, indicating that Qatar was managing those challenges and issues on the hour, as it was never easy. His Excellency called on the parties to the conflict to trust the process itself, which led to some results, including the better delivery of humanitarian aid, although insufficient, and the release of some hostages.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani noted that the solution to this conflict would only come through dialogue at the table, pointing out that in the meantime, solutions might have become more difficult since the previous humanitarian pause, but he sees that there is hope still.

His Excellency added that Qatar would continue the talks and efforts, hoping for a return to the agreement that it brokered two weeks ago. Qatar would follow the release of the remaining hostages who are still alive. However, the ongoing bombing reduces any hope and puts the lives of not only Palestinians but also the hostages in danger.

His Excellency expressed his confidence that the only way to end the war is through negotiations, saying in this regard that he believes that the only way forward and to end the war is through negotiations at the table. His Excellency pointed out that historically, in all wars and conflicts, no war has been ended through violence.

In response to a question, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that the region has been extending hands to Israel for peace plans for decades just as the Arab peace initiative that was adopted by the Arab League and supported by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). His Excellency said that there were several attempts that always aimed at achieving peace within the solution of two peoples and two states living in peace side by side.

His Excellency also noted that achieving peace requires another partner, saying that, unfortunately, we did not see any seriousness from the Israeli side, and that the Israelis continued to procrastinate and push this issue into the future in an attempt to perhaps bury it completely.

His Excellency added that after each war we are asked the same question, why do not the countries of the region undertake reconstruction? This was in the last four or five wars that the Gaza Strip witnessed.

In this regard, His Excellency pointed out the many questions about countries or members of the international community who ask about the post-war stage, without mentioning the current stage by which he meant the continuation of the bombing. 

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that concerning Gaza and its governance structure, who gave anyone the right to discuss the Palestinian issue without the Palestinian people. He emphasized the importance of governance and stressed that Gaza and the West Bank are one entity and one state, adding that they should be governed by one body or authority emerging from a Palestinian agreement and consensus and not from an Arab or Israeli agreement or consensus with global powers.

In this regard, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs called for putting matters in their correct form, stressing the need for this war to stop.

His Excellency stated that the role of regional countries is to support the Palestinian people and their Palestinian issue.

He pointed out, "We have been continuing this effort despite all the circumstances and nothing will stop us. Our role is to make sure that the Palestinian people live in peace and prosperity. We are countries for peace and we never call for wars. We never call for violence and never see violence as a solution for any problem or any crisis." In response to a question, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani highlighted the financial support provided by regional countries to the Palestinians and their assistance in reconstruction efforts.

He pointed out that no country in the region would agree to deploy peacekeeping forces on the backs of Israeli tanks, emphasizing the significant importance of this issue. He urged against always speaking publicly about Palestinians as a people in need of guardianship.
His Excellency reiterated the region's support for the Palestinians and their issue but emphasized that the decision ultimately lies with the Palestinians themselves.

In response to another question, HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that they had warned against the expansion of this war beyond the borders of Gaza, adding that everyone called for containing the situation in Gaza without success.

He emphasized that this issue is at the core of all conflicts in the region and warned that anything happening in Gaza would have repercussions in Lebanon or other countries in the region.

In this context, he added that the State of Qatar will do its utmost to contain this conflict and prevent any escalation in Lebanon or the region, however, the only tangible outcome will be to stop the war, and that is what Qatar has called for.

His Excellency emphasized the importance of avoiding escalation in this conflict and not exploiting the Palestinian issue, adding that Qatar is trying its best to avoid such escalation and exploitation of the Palestinian conflict, but if the killing continues in this way, no one can control the situation.

His Excellency pointed out that the scenes coming from Gaza affect not only the forces in Lebanon and Yemen but an entire generation that may become radicalized due to these scenes, urging everyone to take responsibility for stopping the war.

He underlined the collective responsibility to stop the killing, sit at the table, and reach a single solution for sustainable peace, which involves having a Palestinian state, therefore, Qatar has supported the two-state solution for decades, and there is not a response.

In a related context, His Excellency emphasized that the Doha Forum, since its establishment, has been a platform for dialogue and diverse opinions that enrich this dialogue. He expressed hope that other opinions would join the forum's discussions.

His Excellency said that invitations have been sent to other parties, but they were unable to attend, looking forward to having additional opinions to enrich the dialogue and come up with new ideas and solutions for all these conflicts. He thanked all participants, contributions, and those who joined such excellent discussions.