The brand of peace: the relations between Qatar, Palestine and Israel

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to delve into the relations between Qatar and Palestine. This interest comes from the Qatari attempt to play a mediation role in achieving a ceasefire during the third Gaza war. The Palestinian issue inflames since its beginning the passions of Arab neighbours, in a process of identification, compassion and sympathy, demanding interventions for their brothers and sisters or trying to provide it on their own (Kamrava, 2011). It is undeniable, in fact, that Palestine is “ an organic part of the Arab people’s history, consciousness, and identity “ (Haddad, 2013 p. 288) that was embodied by the Arab aspiration for self-determinism, especially during the Arab Spring, contributing to identify an ideal Palestine because of its “immateriality”. The revolutionary power of Palestine is not only related to the concrete involvement that the Arab-Israeli wars raised and to the failure of the expectations it created regionally and transnationally, exacerbated also by the terrible and unjust life conditions of Palestinian people, but it is related also to the Palestinian diaspora, especially in the MENA region. All these factors contributed to universalize the Palestinian question and its outcry is levelling: it goes beyond class, race, gender, national, religious, cultural, political, generational classifications. In addition to these factors, also media (Al Jazeera) and more recently social networks contributed to the denounce against Israel and to the material, ideological and religious support for Palestine (Haddad). The religious affiliation is also a crucial component, particularly referring to the idea of Ummah. Such a popular support surely is an important leverage for the Qatari government: the Palestinian question, in fact, is at the “top of priorities” for Qatar, which is not only involved into a support for Palestinian cause but also in the denounce of the Israeli politics (MOFA, n.d.) and the Qatari commitment for the Palestinian issue can be distinguished in terms of diplomacy, mediation, financial and humanitarian aids. However, among the reasons for Qatari interest for the Palestinian issue, it is necessary to include the need to challenge its regional counterpart: Saudi Arabia. Starting with an analysis of the emirate’s foreign policy and its efforts at delineating its own line, independently from other Gulf actors (Saudi Arabia) and international actors (USA), Palestine seemed to play a key role in determining the Qatari foreign policy. Subsequently, the research will investigate on the one hand, the Qatari diplomatic relations with Palestine, in terms of speeches, policies, with and in favour of Palestine, and on the other hand its tools and interventions in terms of development aids, investments, charities’ projects in Gaza and West Bank. A particular attention will refer to the representation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and their actors given by one of the most important soft power’s instrument of the Qatari national and foreign policy, Al Jazeera, in order to examine the Persian Gulf country’s contribution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the Fatah and Hamas break up. Furthermore, since speaking about Palestine is speaking also about Israel, the essay will approach to the description of the relations between Israel and Qatar, both public and secret, since Qatar, Oman and Bahrein are the only countries in the Gulf to have established good relations with Israel, especially on the economic and trade level.