Two-state solution is needed to finance rebuilding Gaza, Qatar says
Financial aid to rebuild Gaza will be hard to attract unless the key issue of a twostate solution for the Palestinians and Israelis is properly addressed, Qatar’s prime minister said.
Some international pledges to provide funding for the Mediterranean enclave in previous years haven’t materialized because “most countries don’t believe in the sustainability of the situation,” Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
“Gaza is not there anymore,” he said, referring to the devastation caused by Israeli strikes on the territory since the start of the war against Hamas on Oct. 7. It’s unlikely “you will see all countries coming back and injecting funds to reconstruct it, unless we address the real issue, which is the two state solution.”
The international community’s response to the conflict in Gaza has been “very disappointing” for the region and its people, Althani said. “Even calling for a ceasefire has become a controversial term.”
The war between Israel and Hamas has reached the 100-day mark with few signs that either side is preparing to rein in its campaign. Since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, triggering the war, more than 25,000 people have died, with vast swaths of Gaza raised to the ground.
At the behest of the U.S., Qatar has been a crucial conduit between Israel and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, since the war began. It’s brokered hostage negotiations between the two and hosts several senior Hamas political leaders.
“What we have right now in the region is a recipe for escalation everywhere,” said
Al-thani, who stressed that his country prefers diplomacy over a military resolution.
Wider Conflict
Qatar is “highly concerned” about a widening conflict, with the Yemen-based Houthis drawing U.S. fire after attacking shipping in the Red Sea. Israel and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, have traded blows across the border with Lebanon and Iran itself attacked what it said was an Israeli spy base in Iraq, its first direct strike on Israeli interests since the start of the war.
Gulf countries’ focus on how to engage with Iran is very important, Al-thani said, stressing a need for dialog between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Republic to resolve differences.
“We believe there is a great opportunity, and this momentum is still continuing within the GCC,” he said. “Just imagine the great potential if the GCC and Iran come together, economically even.”