Gulf slams Qatar stance on Iran and Hezbollah

EMIR APPEARS TO DEFY OFFICIAL GCC POLICIES, OBSERVERS SAY

Gulf people and observers were stunned yesterday by statements attributed to the Emir of Qatar Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in which he appeared to defy the official GCC policies on several issues, particularly Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.

“Iran represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the stabilisation of the region,” Shaikh Tamim said at a military ceremony. He also described Hamas and Hezbollah as legitimate resistance movements and called Hamas “the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

Doha denied the statements as “fabricated”. Qatari officials said the website and Twitter account of the official news agency, QNA, had been “hacked”.

However, Gulf media and observers were unimpressed with the Qatari explanation, citing previous occasions when Doha acted “against the interests of the GCC,” Saudi newspaper Okaz said. The Gulf states have repeatedly warned Doha against harbouring leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, considered a terrorist organisation in most Gulf countries.

The GCC also criticised Qatar’s strong relations with Iran, accused by the bloc of meddling in the internal affairs of Gulf states such as Bahrain, and instigating the conflict in Yemen. The Gulf states have also asked Qatar repeatedly to rein in the Doha-based Al Jazeera news channel, which has become a mouthpiece for the Brotherhood and other terror groups such as Al Qaida and Daesh, Gulf analysts said yesterday. The channel, as well as other Qatari media websites, were blocked in Saudi Arabia and the UAE yesterday.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE recalled their envoys from Qatar for about eight months in 2014, accusing Doha of undermining regional security. Tensions have eased since then, with Qatar promising to toe the GCC official line. But it seems that Doha has again chosen a confrontational way vis-a-vis other GCC states, Gulf sources said yesterday.