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Qatar’s prime minister links Gaza war and Iran tensions to unresolved Palestinian statehood
Qatar’s prime minister criticised Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct in Gaza, warned that leaving Palestinian statehood unresolved risks repeated escalation, and called for an imperfect “good deal” to de-escalate with Iran instead of waiting for a flawless agreement.
Qatar’s prime minister has outlined a diagnosis of Middle Eastern instability that runs through both Gaza and Iran, arguing that failure to resolve Palestinian statehood and regional security with Tehran keeps the region exposed to new crises.
On Gaza, he offered a pointed assessment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions. He said Netanyahu has been “acting with impunity,” accusing him of ignoring an agreement, continuing escalation against Gaza, maintaining the blockade and siege, and targeting people every day. He noted that more than 1,000 people had been killed since what is described as a ceasefire and tied that toll to wider instability.
The Qatari leader warned that agreements that do not address the core political issues in Gaza are fragile. He said that leaving out withdrawal, the right of people in Gaza to live a normal life and Palestinian self-determination and statehood “will always leave the door open,” and that the entire region would stay at risk of another escalation if those elements remain unaddressed.
Turning to Iran, he argued that waiting for a flawless settlement is unrealistic and dangerous. Speaking about efforts to reduce the risk of war involving Iran, he said, “We will never have a perfect peace deal. We cannot just wait for that moment of a perfect deal and avoid having a good deal in place that will bring about de-escalation.” He added that Qatari efforts are continuing, acknowledged that talks are “not as active as it was a few days ago,” and stressed that Qatar’s engagement “has not stopped and will not stop.”
He described recent coordination with Washington, saying that for the past couple of weeks Qatar has worked with colleagues in the U.S. administration who have “very genuine intentions” to contain the situation and de-escalate it. He credited U.S. officials and “wise voices” with preventing the situation from getting out of control.
Beyond crisis management, the prime minister sketched what he views as a more stable future. He pointed to Europe’s post–Second World War integration as an example of former rivals building institutions after severe conflict and said his own region shares many commonalities. He argued that Gulf countries and Iran could one day join together economically if the nuclear issue is resolved and Iran’s economy opens, saying the potential would be “unlimited” given the region’s resources and human capital.
In that context, he asked listeners to imagine a security arrangement with Iran built around shared interests. He highlighted that Iran has “plenty of water resources,” a sensitive point given shortages in Gulf states, and said that building more areas of common interest would make hostile steps by politicians and leaders harder to take.
The Qatari premier also addressed the presence of foreign forces in the Gulf. Asked about attacks on states hosting U.S. facilities, he replied that Oman, which was attacked, does not have U.S. military bases, and argued that an attack on any Gulf country is an attack on that state’s sovereignty. He said there is no justification for such strikes, “even if there is a U.S. facility,” because those bases are sovereign facilities of the host countries. He noted that Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts American forces, also hosts other international forces.
On energy and geography, he emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz will remain central to Qatar. He said that while some countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia talk about alternative outlets for their energy exports, Qatar’s gas and liquefied natural gas depend on the strait, which will stay the country’s main lifeline.
He also set out a political end-state for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, saying that the region needs to see Palestinians have their state and Israelis have security arrangements with neighbouring countries so that “no one represents a threat to anyone else.”
Taken together, his comments depict a region where the Gaza war, Iranian tensions and maritime security are bound up with unresolved questions about Palestinian rights and regional integration. Developments to watch now include whether talks on Gaza address the political issues he highlighted, whether channels between Tehran and Western capitals regain momentum, and whether Gulf and Iranian officials show any public interest in the kind of economic and security cooperation he described.