Exclusive: Al-Thani says Qatar key to helping US build bridge between Israel and Palestinians

Meshal Al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to the United States, said today he is “optimistic” that a recent flurry of diplomacy in the final days of the Trump administration could signal progress toward healing the rift within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a trade and travel embargo on Qatar, which those countries claimed had been engaged in destabilizing activities in the region.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just returned from travel to the Gulf, including meetings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where solving the Gulf rift was on the agenda.  US national security adviser Robert O’Brien said last week he would like the dispute resolved before the end of US President Donald Trump’s term in January 2021. 

Al-Thani, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, praised the remarks today by Pompeo and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Al-Sabah in support of Kuwait’s mediation to reconcile the parties.