Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
08-12-2024
DOHA/ WASHINGTON: Qatar is engaging with the incoming Trump administration on Gaza after sensing fresh momentum for ceasefire talks following the US election, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Saturday.
The war in Gaza has been raging for over 14 months, with much of the tiny enclave laid to waste and more than 44,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza health authorities, as Israeli forces continue their drive to wipe out Hamas and recapture hostages taken by the militant group.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has traveled to Qatar and Israel to kick-start the US president-elect’s diplomatic push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal before his inauguration on Jan. 20, a source briefed on the talks told media on Thursday.
“We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration in order to achieve a deal even before the President comes to office and that’s actually made us (try) to move things back and (try) to put it back on track, and we’ve been engaging in the past couple of weeks,” Al Thani said at a conference in Doha.
Steve Witkoff, who will officially take up the envoy position in Trump’s administration, met separately in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Al Thani, the source said.
Trump returned to the world stage on Saturday to join leaders for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, although it was unclear whether he would meet other leaders apart from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Earlier, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has traveled to Qatar and Israel to kickstart the US president-elect’s diplomatic push to help reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal before he takes office on Jan. 20, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters.
Steve Witkoff, who will officially take up the position under Trump’s administration, met separately in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said.
Witkoff’s conversations appear aimed at building on nearly 14 months of unsuccessful diplomacy by the Biden administration, Qatar and Egypt aimed at a lasting ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas in Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held in the enclave.
The meetings also signal that the Gulf state of Qatar has resumed as a key mediator after suspending its role last month, the source said.
The source added that Hamas negotiators would likely return to the Qatari capital Doha for more talks soon.
Biden’s aides have been aware of Witkoff’s contacts with Israeli, Qatari and other Middle East officials and understand that Trump’s envoy supports a Gaza deal along the lines the administration has been pursuing, a US official said.
The Biden administration, rather than Witkoff, retains the US lead in efforts to revive negotiations towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian security officials in Cairo on Sunday.
President Joe Biden’s team has kept the Trump camp updated, but the two sides have not worked together directly, the US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Biden administration does not see a need to coordinate with Witkoff because it regards his discussions with regional players as largely an effort to learn the issues rather than negotiations, the official said. (Int’l News Desk)
