Former Qatar PM says Israelis have right to live in their land

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani stated that Israelis have a right to live in their own land, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“...Israelis have a right to live in their land in peace and safety, this is my conviction. I’ve had this conviction for many long years, and I still do,” Hamad wrote in Arabic, the Post said.

Hamad also called on Qatari leaders to improve its relationship with other countries in the region. “What we need now in our Gulf,” he said, “is to advise each other and try to reform the severed ties between our peoples,” the Post reported.

Qatar’s problematic situation has come about “because of a lack of strategy and clear belief in dealing with our disputes and in outlining a desired future for generations to come,” he concluded, according to the Post.

These surprising comments were made just a couple of days after an interview appeared in The Atlantic, quoting Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying that Israelis have a right to their own land.

Apparently pushing for a two-state solution, the Saudi prince said, “I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”

Ties between Israel and the Gulf states have improved over the past year, triggered by the common Iranian threat.