DEEP ROOTS CAUSING ARAB SPRING ARE STILL PRESENT, QATARI EMIR SAYS

Thu 15 September 2022:

The Emir of Qatar has said that the root causes of the Arab Spring are still present in society and have actually got worse, Le Point has reported. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani called for gradual reforms to avoid unrest in the region.

“Poverty, unemployment, unemployed graduates… have we solved these problems?” the Emir asked in his interview with the French magazine published on Wednesday. “No, on the contrary, they have worsened. If we don’t address them, the events that they caused may repeat themselves.”

He expressed his belief that the best way to avoid future turmoil is to implement reforms gradually. “We must give real hope to people, not words. We also need to provide jobs and opportunities, and let them express their opinions and differences.”

In response to a question about Qatar’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, for which it is criticised, Bin Hamad said, “This relationship does not exist, and there are no active members of the Muslim Brotherhood or any related groups on Qatari soil. We are an open country, and a large number of people with different opinions and ideas pass through it, but we are a country and not a party, and we deal with countries and their legitimate governments, not with political organisations.”

On the normalisation of relations with Israel by Arab countries, Sheikh Tamim said that “Each country has the right to establish relations with any other country.”

In any case, “What is ‘normalisation’ with Israel? I speak in all seriousness; is the situation normal in Israel? No, there are still occupied Arab lands and refugees who have not been able to return to their homes for more than 70 years, Muslims and Christians living under siege in the Gaza Strip.”

When the Oslo agreement was signed, the Emir continued, everyone believed that peace would come, and Qatar established official relations with Israel. “We also opened an Israeli trade office here in Doha, but the wars did not stop in the Gaza Strip. We have to reach a peaceful settlement for the sake of the Palestinian people, give them hope and return their land.”

In the meantime, said the Qatari leader, “We talk to the Israelis, and we provide aid to the residents of Gaza and the West Bank as well. I believe in a two-state solution. Palestinians and Israelis should live side by side, but unfortunately, we are far from it.”

Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis stopped in April 2014 because of Tel Aviv’s refusal to stop the building and expansion of its illegal settlements and release former prisoners. Israel basically repudiated the principle of the two-state solution.

In closing, Sheikh Tamim pointed out that Qatar is the first Arab country to organise a global event such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament which it is hosting in November and December. “This is a very important event for young people, especially in the Arab world. We will welcome hundreds of thousands of fans to the country, and we welcome everyone, whoever they are and regardless of their origin or culture. We want visitors to learn about the differences between cultures and discover the culture of our country, and we hope that this will prompt them to visit us again.”

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