Qatar: Architect of its own isolation

Al-Qaeda and others — will suffer a loss of liquidity.

Too much bad water has gone under the bridge. There is no turning back unless Qatar can find a way to redeem itself. The regime of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his son Tamim cannot be trusted. Its promises are worthless.

Sheikh Hamad’s family has steered the country in the wrong direction and used its vast wealth for nefarious purposes. I believe Qataris are waking up to that indisputable reality. I am not in the business of telling the people of other nations how to react to their own governments; that is for them to decide. I pray they make wise choices.

But if Qatar’s emir cares about the future of his country and people, he would do well to consider stepping down and going into exile along with his close family members and loyalists. He would be offered sanctuary by numerous states that would welcome a mega-injection of funds.

There are honest people within the Al-Thani family capable of bringing Qatar back to the straight and narrow. Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al-Thani is one. He slammed Tamim in a tweet, writing: “We hoped that foreign policy would change, and our hopes were disappointed after you joined forces with Iran against your brothers and set up terrorist groups and published electronic battalions to beat your opponents.”

There are branches of the extensive Al-Thani family made up of true Gulf Arabs who genuinely love their neighbors’ soil as much as their own, and want to play a role in bettering the Arab world, not injecting it with divisiveness. They should step up and make their voices heard so the Qatari people can coalesce behind them. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies would be only too happy to welcome Qatar back to the fold.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has described the measures taken as “unjustified” and “based on claims and allegations with no basis in fact.” That statement whistles to the wind. There is a growing mountain of evidence that refutes such denials.

I look forward to the recalibration of Qatar’s foreign policy in accordance with that of all GCC member states, so we can have the confidence to mend relations with Doha in good faith. How that is achieved rests on Qatari shoulders, but meanwhile the UAE and its Arab allies must do what they have to in order to protect their own people.

Once all countries around the Arabian Gulf are on the same page when it comes to battling the terrorist scourge and pushing back Iran’s expansionism, they will be the safest and most stable on the planet. Come back to us Qatar. Come back to us as a loyal partner. Let us trust in God to bring us together in love and friendship before the rift becomes too wide to swiftly traverse. Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor is a prominent UAE businessman and public figure. He is renowned for his views on international political affairs, his philanthropic activity and his efforts to promote peace. He has long acted as an unofficial ambassador for his country abroad.