Israeli PM's rejection of two-state solution 'cannot be accepted,' says Qatari official
Netanyahu says he told U.S. he opposes a Palestinian state in any post-war scenario
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a two-state solution is unacceptable and not in the interest of the Israeli people, an adviser to Qatar's prime minister said Friday.
Netanyahu said Thursday he had informed the United States that he opposes a Palestinian state in any post-war scenario, arguing a Palestinian state would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel.
"These statements are nothing [but] obstructive to the effort of mediation but it also provides fuel to the fire when it comes to the narrative around peace in the region," Majed Al-Ansari, who also serves as an official spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday.
"A lot of players have tried to sideline the Palestinian issue and as a result we are at the escalation we have right now. So, obviously, its not in the interest of the Israeli people, it's not in the interest of the people of the region to sideline the Palestinian issue altogether," Al-Ansari told host Rosemary Barton.
"These kinds of statements cannot be accepted."
Qatar, a relatively tiny country in the Middle East both in terms of population and geography, plays a key role in mediation efforts between the Israeli government and Hamas.
Doha, the capital of Qatar, plays host to the Hamas political bureau and several of the group's senior political leaders live in the city.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, Qatar blamed Israel for the escalation.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds Israel solely responsible for the ongoing escalation due to its ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, the latest of which was the repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli police," says a statement from the ministry published on Oct. 7.
"The Ministry stresses the need for the international community to act urgently to compel Israel to stop its flagrant violations of international law, respect the resolutions of international legitimacy and the historical rights of the Palestinian people, and to prevent these events from being used as a pretext to ignite a new asymmetric war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
The Qatari government defends its decision to allow members of Hamas — a listed terrorist organization in Canada — to live in Doha, arguing its interest is in ensuring lines of communication remain open to advance peace in the region.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated the Canadian government's long-standing support for a two-state solution Thursday in response to the Israeli prime minister's comments.
"Canada's position is crystal clear," he said. "We believe the only way forward for the region, indeed the only way forward for a safe and secure Israel, is to have a Palestinian state that is also safe and secure with internationally-recognized borders. We believe in a two-state solution."
All of Canada's G7 allies remain committed to the two-state solution.
"We underscore that a two-state solution, which envisions Israel and a viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition, remains the only path to a just, lasting and secure peace," says a G7 foreign ministers' statement published in November.
Israel's Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed said in an interview Thursday that talking about a two-state solution is "not tangible at the moment."
"Talking about an idea from the past when we know that the future is completely different, the environment is going to change in a profound way, doesn't really make sense and this is what the prime minister is saying," Moed said in an interview with Power & Politics.
"If we are talking about a two-state solution, we have to guarantee that our state is there when we are talking about any kind of a solution and at the moment we are under threat. We are at war and we need to win this war, and once we win that war, we'll see," said Moed.
When asked Friday whether he believes Netanyahu has to leave office before peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians can happen, Majed Al-Ansari said that's for the Israeli people to decide.
"But we would certainly encourage that all parties involved, whether it be in Palestine or Israel or around the world, have to maintain a commitment to peace and this is the only option for all people of the region," said Al-Ansari.
"We have made it clear from day one that there is no other alternative for peace than the two-state solution that is agreed upon by counties in the region, by the peoples of this conflict and by the international community altogether."
Rosemary Barton's full interview with Al-Ansari airs Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live at 10 a.m. ET.
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