Qatar slammed for spreading rumours

Dubai : UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash yesterday slammed Qatar for promoting rumours that its neighbours are normalizing relations with Israel while Doha itself has contacts with it.

“Doha spreads and promotes normalization rumours about its neighbours while its contacts are documented and ongoing (with Israel). The most ones were the series of communication with Tel Aviv about Gaza,” Gargash said on Twitter, adding: “Fake news and partisan blindness are exposed.” Dr Gargash also criticised Qatar following Israeli reports of a secret meeting in Cyprus between top officials from Doha and Tel Aviv.

Israeli sources said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met secretly with Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in the end of June. “It’s strange that Qatar and its media who spread rumours about its neighbours’ attempts to normalise relations with Israel, while there is documented evidence that Doha has been in direct contact with officials in Tel Aviv on the issue of Gaza,” Dr Gargash said.

“Where is Al Jazeera, the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaradawi on the normalisation of relations? It is of mutual benefit,” Dr Gargash added. According to the sources, the meeting aimed to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip at a time when Israel’s leaders are discussing the ceasefire proposals with Hamas. Asharq Al-Awsat daily quoted Israeli media outlets as saying that the meeting which was held in Cyprus looked into the possibility of establishing a port for the Gaza Strip as part of the deal to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Strip.