Qatar PM says Gaza peace deal might be possible before Trump returns to the White House

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said that momentum has returned in the Gaza peace talks and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is possible before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next year. While speaking at the annual Doha Forum, the Qatar premier said that two key issues surround the deal.

One is whether there was a willingness to have a prisoner hostage exchange and whether there was a desire to end the war. He also mentioned that Qatar had stepped back from its role as mediator a few months ago because “some countries were exploiting the process for political reasons.

“There had been a lot of encouragement to secure a deal before the president comes to office so we are trying to get things back on track,” Al Thani said at the forum. The Qatari prime minister implied that he had received assurances from the US president-elect’s advisers about their determination to reach a negotiated settlement in the ongoing war. “We have sensed after the election that the momentum is coming back," he said.

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Al Thani compares Trump’s approach with Biden

While speaking on the impact of the upcoming Trump presidency on the ongoing conflict, the Qatar premier compared Trump’s approach with that of Biden. “There will be some differences, but we did not see any disagreement on the goal of ending the war. That was very important for us to understand," he said.

He mentioned that at the heart of the disagreement between Hamas and Israel, in regard to a ceasefire deal is whether Israel is “prepared” to accept that a ceasefire reflects a permanent end to the conflict and not a temporary respite which will involve just the exchange of Palestinian political prisoners and Israeli hostages, The Guardian reported.

Al Thani emphasised that the issue dogged the talks for months. However, many believe that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s options might be limited if Trump insists that he wants the war to be over.

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It is pertinent to note that Israel has been silent on its future intentions with Gaza. Whether the country wants to rule the coastal region or not. While speaking on how the conflict is spreading across West Asia, Al Thani said: “We have been trying to warn everyone in the world that the situation in Gaza is going to expand.”

With inputs from agencies.