Saudi Arabia accuses Qatar of prolonging Palestinian division

Saudi Ambassador in Bahrain Abdullah Bin Abdul-Malek Al-Sheikh has accused Qatar of inferring in the Palestinian cause and prolonging the internal division, Bahrain’s Al-Watan newspaper reported.

“The State of Qatar plays a negative role in the Palestinian cause. It exploits the Palestinian cause and employs it politically for its own interests,” the ambassador said, adding that Qatar’s support for Hamas does not stem from its love for the Palestinians but “comes within a plan of prolonging the Palestinian division at the expense of the Palestinian people will”.

According to the ambassador this is not surprising because Qatar has been supporting extremist groups for 20 years and intervening in the internal affairs of other countries.

“This negative interference is causing many internal tensions and divisions and affecting international efforts to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” he said.

According to Al-Sheikh solving the dispute with Qatar depends on the Qatari government’s response to the demands of the four countries; Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, then stop supporting terrorism and to not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar last June, accusing the Gulf state of “supporting terrorism.” Qatar denies the accusations.

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