Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, February 17
Not that we needed more proof, but the Qatari government has once again demonstrated just how hypocritical it is. Last week, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah made a state visit to Palestine, during which he visited Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque. Just minutes after Alawi left the site, the Qatari media went wild and criticized the minister for “normalizing” ties with Israel. Qatari news channels slammed Arab regimes for “cooperating with the enemy” and “abandoning the Palestinian cause,” among other accusations and slurs. To those who know a thing or two about the Qatari stance on Palestine this seemed absolutely ridiculous. It is Doha, after all, which has over the past decade engaged with Israeli officials at all levels of government. Yet, concurrently, Qatari spokesmen have blatantly castigated anyone daring to do the same. Qatari television berated the Egyptian Mufti, for example, when he visited Jerusalem in 2012. Meanwhile, Oman—the target of these latest accusations—has maintained an open and transparent line of communication with Israel without making excuses. An Israeli Trade Office even existed in Muscat until the outbreak of the Second Intifada. But Omani officials did not incite against other Arab states for choosing to engage in trade with Tel Aviv. The shame is not in interacting with Israelis, but, rather, in holding others to a different standard. As for Alawi, the minister repeatedly explained that Arab leaders should not comment on the Palestinian issue from the comfort of their lavish conference rooms back home. Instead, they should visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories in order to experience the conditions on the ground first-hand. This is exactly what the Omani minister did, and what Qatar so miserably has failed to understand. – Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed