ISTANBUL (AA) – Qatar has denied media reports claiming it has withdrawn from mediation efforts to achieve a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, saying the efforts are stalled temporarily. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari said “the media reports about the State of Qatar’s withdrawal from mediation r...
ANKARA (AA) – Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar have condemned Saturday’s Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory. In a statement, Oman’s Foreign Ministry expressed “strong condemnation and denunciation” of the strikes, calling them a “blatant violation of (Iran’s) sovereignty” and “a clear breach of interna...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Qatar and Indonesia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to offer scholarships for Afghan students to study in Indonesia. The agreement was signed virtually by Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi via video conference,...
DOHA, Qatar (AA) – Qatar’s emir has accused Israel of deliberately expanding its aggression as part of a pre-planned agenda against Lebanon and the occupied West Bank. Speaking at the opening of an ordinary session of Qatar’s Shura Council in Doha, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani warned of escalating violence with potential consequ...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Iran has threatened to target US-allied Middle Eastern countries if they allow Israel to use their military bases or airspace in an announced “retaliatory” strike, the American Wall Street Journal reported. Tehran has sent out warnings through diplomatic channels that it will retaliate against any Arab state that fa...
ANKARA (AA) – Qatar and Saudi Arabia have expressed deep concern over Israel’s ongoing escalation of attacks on Lebanon, warning that Tel Aviv’s “impunity” is driving it to escalate the situation, endangering regional security. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the Israeli ...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli and US officials said Saturday that Washington is “not optimistic” about reaching a swap deal with Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, but will soon present a new proposal. Washington is drafting a new proposal, which will be presented to Tel Aviv and mediators, although the US is not optimistic a...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still insists on maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, the public broadcaster KAN has reported. “The prime minister has not changed his position on the need for Israeli control and presence in the Philadelphi Corrid...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Qatar and Egypt have warned the US that there is “little chance” for the Palestinian group Hamas to accept its latest proposal for a Gaza cease-fire, Israeli media reported. Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar concluded on Friday with a new “proposal that narrows the gaps” between Israel and Hamas, cla...
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Philadelphi Corridor remains a sticking point in Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media reported on Sunday. The corridor is a 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. According to the Israeli news portal Walla, Isra...
