Israeli media: Qatar is willing to mediate a truce between Hamas and Israel

Monday February 25, 2008 18:26 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Israeli media sources reported on Monday that the Qatari Foreign Minister Shikh Hamad Bin- Jassem al-Thani said that his country is willing to mediate a truce between Hamas and Israel.

Qatar Flag - file 2008

The statement came during a meeting between the Qatari official and left wing Israeli MP, Yousi Beilin. The meeting took place in Doha during a conference for retired foreign ministers on Sunday. Beilin wasa past Israeli deputy foreign minister. In his statement Al-Thani said, "it will be a great mistake to think that the Palestinian President will be able to achieve peace without Hamas involvement in negotiations." After the Hamas movement won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, the USA and the EU placed the Palestinians under harsh economic sanctions. They demanded that Hamas recognize Israel and renounce violence. Hamas refused and demanded Israel end its occupation first. In an attempt to end the blockade, Saudi Arabia mediated a deal between Hamas and President Abbas' of Fatah which achieved the first Palestinian National unity government in an agreement known as the Mecca agreement. The pressure due to the economic embargo led to internal in-fighting between Fatah and Hamas, which by June 2007 led to Hamas control of the Gaza Strip and Fatah control of the West Bank. Al-Thani also stated that there is a need to revive the Mecca agreement, to ensure that Palestinian rights are upheld.

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