2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis began when several countries abruptly cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017. These countries included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. The severing of relations included withdrawing ambassadors, and imposing trade and travel bans.

The crisis is an escalation of the Qatar–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict. The Saudi-led coalition cited Qatar's alleged support for terrorism as the main reason for their actions, insisting Qatar has violated a 2014 agreement with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).[1] Saudi Arabia and other countries have criticized Al Jazeera and Qatar's relations with Iran. Qatar claims that it has assisted the United States in the War on Terror and the ongoing military intervention against ISIL.[2]

On 27 July 2017, the Qatari foreign minister Al Thani told reporters that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were showing "stubbornness" and had not taken any steps to solve the crisis. Al Thani added that the Security Council, the General Assembly and "all the United Nations mechanisms" could play a role in resolving the situation.[3] On 24 August 2017, Qatar announced that they would restore full diplomatic relations with Iran.[4]

Background

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Main article: Qatar–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

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Further information: 2017 United States-Saudi Arabia arms deal and Riyadh Summit 2017

Since he took power in 1995, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani believed Qatar could find security only by transforming itself from a Saudi appendage to a rival of Saudi Arabia.[5] Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Doha from 2002 to 2008 to try to pressure Qatar to curb its individualistic tendencies. This approach broadly failed.[6] The Arab Spring left a power vacuum which both Saudi Arabia and Qatar sought to fill, with Qatar being supportive of the revolutionary wave and Saudi Arabia opposing it; since both states are allies of the United States, they avoid direct conflict with one another.[7] Qatar has had differences with other Arab governments on a number of issues: it broadcasts Al Jazeera; it is accused of maintaining good relations with Iran; and it has supported the Muslim Brotherhood in the past.[8] Qatar has been accused of sponsoring terrorism. Some countries have faulted Qatar for funding rebel groups in Syria, including al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front,[9] although the Saudis have done the same.[10][11] Qatar has allowed the Afghan Taliban to set up a political office inside the country.[12] Qatar is a close ally of the United States, hosting the largest American base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base.[13]

File:Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Melania Trump, and Donald Trump, May 2017.jpg
US President Donald Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and Egyptian President Abd El-Fattah El-Sisi at the 2017 Riyadh Summit. The meeting is cited as one of the catalysts for the crisis.[8]
File:Flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.svg
Flag of Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni militant group. Qatar is accused of paying the group $140 million in a deal that saw the release of hostages[14] and allowing of humanitarian aid to Shi'ite and Sunni villages in Syria.[15]

The exact reasons for the diplomatic break-offs are unclear, but contemporary news coverage primarily attributes this to several events in April and May 2017.

April 2017 hostage negotiations

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Further information: 2015 Qatari hunters kidnapping

In April 2017, Qatar was involved in a deal with both Sunni and Shi'ite militants in Iraq and Syria. The deal had two goals. The immediate goal was to secure the return of 26 Qatari hostages (including Qatari royals) who had been kidnapped by Shi'ite militants while falcon hunting in Southern Iraq and kept in captivity for more than 16 months.[16][15] The second goal was to get both Sunni and Shi'ite militants in Syria to allow humanitarian aid to pass through and allow the safe evacuation of civilians.[15] According to the New York Times, this deal allowed the evacuation of at least 2,000 civilians from the Syrian village of Madaya alone.[15] What outraged Saudi Arabia and the UAE is the amount of money Qatar had to pay to secure the deal. According to the Financial Times Qatar paid $700 million to Iranian-backed Shi'a militias in Iraq, $120–140 million to Tahrir al-Sham, and $80 million to Ahrar al-Sham.[14]

Riyadh Summit 2017

As part of the Riyadh Summit in late May 2017, many world leaders, including US President Donald Trump visited the region. Trump gave strong support for Saudi Arabia's efforts in fighting against states and groups allied with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, leading to an arms deal between the countries. Trump's support may have induced other Sunni states to fall in line with Saudi Arabia to take a stance against Qatar.[8] Trump's public support for Saudi Arabia emboldened the kingdom and sent a chill through other Gulf states, including Oman and Kuwait, that fear that any country that defies the Saudis or the United Arab Emirates could face ostracism as Qatar has.[17] The Saudi-led move was at once an opportunity for the GCC partners and Egypt to punish their adversaries in Doha, please their allies in Washington, and remove attention from their own shortcomings and challenges.[18]

Hacking of Qatari websites

The Qatar News Agency website and other government media platforms were hacked in May 2017. According to Qatar-based Al Jazeera and the American FBI, hackers posted fake remarks on the official Qatar News Agency attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel.[19] The emir was quoted as saying: "Iran represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the stabilization of the region."[20][21] Qatar reported that the statements were false and did not know their origin.[8] Despite this, the remarks were widely publicized in the various Arab news media, including UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya.[19] On 3 June 2017, the Twitter account of Bahraini foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was hacked.[22]

Initially alleged intelligence gathered by the US security agencies indicated that Russian hackers were behind the intrusion first reported by the Qataris.[23][24] However, a US official briefed on the inquiry told the New York Times that it "was unclear whether the hackers were state-sponsored"[25] and The Guardian diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reported that "it is believed that the Russian government was not involved in the hacks; instead, freelance hackers were paid to undertake the work on behalf of some other state or individual."[24] A US diplomat said that Russia and its ally Iran stood to benefit from sowing discord among US allies in the region, "particularly if they made it more difficult for the United States to use Qatar as a major base."[25] The FBI sent a team of investigators to Doha to help the Qatari government investigate the hacking incident.[26] Later, the New York Times reported that the hacking incidents may be part of a long-running cyberwar between Qatar and other Gulf countries that was only revealed to the public during the recent incidents, and they noted how Saudi and UAE media picked up the statement made by the hacked media in less than 20 minutes and began interviewing many well-prepared commentators against Qatar.[27]

US intelligence agencies believe that the hacking was done by the United Arab Emirates, according to a Washington Post article published on 16 July.[28] The intelligence officials stated that the hacking was discussed among Emirati officials on 23 May, one day before the operation took place.[29] The UAE denied any involvement in the hacking.[30] It was announced on 26 August 2017 that five individuals allegedly involved in the hacking were arrested in Turkey.[31]

Al Jazeera

In May 2017, the email account of the UAE's ambassador to the US, Yousef Al-Otaiba, was hacked. The emails were reported as "embarrassing",[32] because they showed links between the UAE and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.[32] Arab countries saw the media coverage of the alleged email hack as a provocation by Qatar, regardless of the lack of affiliation of Qatar to the hack,[33] and deepened the rift between the two sides.[34] On 9 June, Al Jazeera's media network was the victim of a cyber attack across all its platforms.[35] Yousef al Otaiba has been reportedly linked to buy influence for UAE-led campaigns in the White House.[36]

Immediate response

Between 5 and 6 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen, Egypt, the Maldives, and Bahrain all separately announced that they were cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar; among these Bahrain was the first to announce the severing of ties at 02:50 GMT in the early morning of 5 June.[37][38][39][40][41][42]

A variety of diplomatic actions were taken. Saudi Arabia and the UAE notified ports and shipping agents not to receive Qatari vessels or ships owned by Qatari companies or individuals.[43] Saudi Arabia closed the border with Qatar.[43] Saudi Arabia restricted its airspace to Qatar Airways. Instead, Qatar was forced to reroute flights to Africa and Europe through Iranian airspace.[44] Saudi Arabia's central bank advised banks not to trade with Qatari banks in Qatari riyals.[45]

Qatar verbally criticized the ban. The Foreign Ministry of Qatar criticized the ban, arguing that it undermined Qatar's sovereignty.[46] The foreign minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said that Saudi statements regarding Qatar were contradictory: on the one hand, Saudi Arabia claimed Qatar was supporting Iran, on the other hand, it claimed Qatar was funding Sunni extremists fighting against Iran.[47]

Saudi Arabia's move was welcomed by United States president Donald Trump despite a large US presence at the Al Udeid Air Base, the primary base of US air operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[48] However, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis are working on de-escalating the situation.[49] Tillerson, as the CEO of ExxonMobil, was acquaintanted with the current and previous emirs of Qatar.[50] A number of countries in the region, including Turkey, Russia and Iran, called for the crisis to be resolved through peaceful negotiations.

All GCC countries involved in the announcement ordered their citizens out of Qatar.[51] Three Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain) gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries.[46] The foreign ministries of Bahrain and Egypt gave Qatari diplomats 48 hours to leave their countries.[52][40] Qatar was expelled from the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and Yemen's government itself has cut ties.[46] Kuwait and Oman remained neutral.[53]

Kuwaiti mediators in Riyadh were presented with a list of Saudi demands of Qatar. These included cutting off all links with Iran and expelling resident members of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, curbs on the freedom of al-Jazeera, to stop "interfering" in foreign countries' affairs and to cease any funding or support for terrorist organisations.[54]

Diplomatic activity

As of 23 August 2017, nine sovereign governments have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.[55][56]

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The Tobruk-based government of Libya claimed to have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar despite having no diplomatic representation in that country.[63][64][65]

The semi-autonomous Somali regions of Puntland, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug each issued statements cutting ties with Qatar, in opposition to the neutral stance of the federal government of Somalia.[66]

As of 23 August 2017, three countries have downgraded diplomatic ties with Qatar without fully cutting relations.

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Multiple countries, the European Union[70][71] and the United Nations[72] called for the resolution of the diplomatic crisis through dialogue:

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Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Qatar World Cup supreme committee, has stated that the projects are going as scheduled for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar's only land border and air and sea routes have been cut off by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As the blockade came into play, World Cup organizers were asked to investigate a "Plan B", FIFA however has confidence in not exploring a "Plan B" for an alternate 2022 host. All these logical obstacles are being overcome and building progress is continuing with only minimal cost increases, in preparation for the first World Cup in the Middle East.[96]

Global reactions

Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed support for Qatar and criticized the severing of ties.[97] He accused US President Donald Trump of stirring up conflict in the Middle East.[98]

India said that it viewed the crisis as an internal matter of the Gulf Cooperation Council and was primarily concerned with the Indian expatriates in the region.[99][100]

Indonesia's foreign minister said the diplomatic disconnection by Arab countries against Qatar is very influential on Indonesia. On 10 June 2017 Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for the president of Turkey and the Emir of Qatar to find a way to resolve the conflict considering Indonesia itself is an Islamic country and this conflict occurred during Ramadhan.[101]

Israel's defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, described the situation as an "opportunity" for Israel, stating, "Some [Arab countries'] interests overlap with Israeli interests, including the issue with al-Jazeera." He went on to describe al-Jazeera as an "incitement machine" and "pure propaganda". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded al-Jazeera shut down its offices in Israel.[102]

Reports that Mauritius had cut ties with Qatar were refuted by the Mauritian government.[103][104] A report in the Saudi Gazette incorrectly stated that Mauritius had broken off ties with Qatar and that Mauritius' Vice Prime-Minister had issued a communiqué pledging his country's support for Saudi Arabia. This prompted further erroneous reports by other outlets. However, Mauritian Vice Prime Minister Showkutally Soodhun in an interview with Le Défi Media Group of Mauritius refuted claims that he had issued any such communiqué, and Mauritius' Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that Mauritius continued to maintain diplomatic relations with Qatar.[103][104]

Pakistan stated that it had no plans to cut diplomatic relations with Qatar.[105] Members of the Parliament passed a resolution in National Assembly of Pakistan urging all countries to "show restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue".[89] Federal minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources said that "Pakistan will continue to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar."[106] A six-member Qatari delegation headed by a special envoy of the Qatari Emir visited Pakistan and asked Pakistan to play a positive role in resolving the diplomatic crisis. Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif said "Pakistan would do "all it can" to help resolve the crisis and called on the Muslim world to play a role in ending hostilities."[107] TRT in a report said that Pakistan would deploy 20,000 troops in Qatar but the Foreign Office denied media report.[108]

The Philippines suspended the deployment of migrant workers to Qatar on 6 June.[109] However, on 7 June, they allowed the deployment of the returning workers and those with an Overseas Employment Certificate, but still suspended the deployment of new workers.[110] The suspension was later fully lifted on 15 June.[111]

File:Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Qatar (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani), May 2017.jpg
United States President Donald Trump with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, May 2017

United States President Donald Trump claimed credit for engineering the diplomatic crisis in a series of tweets.[112] On 6 June, Trump began by tweeting: "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!"[113][112] An hour and a half later, he remarked on Twitter that it was "good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference [sic] was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"[114][115][116] This was in contrast to attempts by The Pentagon and State department to remain neutral. The Pentagon praised Qatar for hosting the Al Udeid Air Base and for its "enduring commitment to regional security." US Ambassador to Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, sent a similar message.[117][118] Earlier, the US Secretary of State had taken a neutral stance and called for dialogue.[119]

File:Refueling the fight against terrorism 170103-F-XF291-0016.jpg
Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar

Qatar hosts about 10,000 US troops at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the forward operating base of United States Central Command that plays a commanding role in US airstrikes in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.[120][116][121] A Pentagon spokesperson claimed the diplomatic crisis would not affect the US military posture in Qatar.[116][112] On 8 June, President Donald Trump, during a phone call with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, offered to act as a mediator in the conflict with a White House meeting between the parties if necessary.[122] The offer was declined, and a Qatari official stated, "The emir has no plans to leave Qatar while the country is under a blockade."[123] On 9 June, Trump once again put the blame on Qatar, calling the blockade "hard but necessary" while claiming that Qatar had been funding terrorism at a "very high level" and described the country as having an "extremist ideology in terms of funding".[124] This statement was in conflict with Secretary of State Tillerson's comments on the same day, which called on Gulf states to ease the blockade.[125][124] In 13 June 2017 after meeting with Tillerson in Washington, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir stated that there was "no blockade" and "what we have done is we have denied them use of our airspace, and this is our sovereign right" and that the King Salman Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Relief would send food or medical aid to Qatar if needed.[126] On 21 June, Trump told a crowd in Iowa that "We cannot let these incredibly rich nations fund radical Islamic terror or terrorism of any kind," noting that after his visit to Riyadh in May 2017 to meet with Saudi King Salman and urge an end to terror funding, "He has taken it to heart. And now they're fighting with other countries that have been funding terrorism. And I think we had a huge impact."[127][128]

On 7 June, the Turkish parliament passed, with 240 votes in favor and 98 against, a legislative act first drafted in May allowing Turkish troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar.[129][130] In 13 June 2017 during a speech, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the isolation of Qatar as "inhumane and against Islamic values" and stated that "victimising Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose".[126]

Gabon's foreign ministry also made a statement condemning Qatar for "failing to respect international commitments and agreements on counter-terrorism".[131]

On 8 June, Egypt's deputy UN Ambassador Ihab Moustafa called for the United Nations Security Council to launch an investigation into accusations that Qatar "paid up to $1 billion to a terrorist group active in Iraq" to free 26 Qatari hostages, including members of its royal family, which would violate UN resolutions. The Qataris were kidnapped 16 December 2015 from a desert camp for falcon hunters in southern Iraq. The hostages were released eighteen months later in April 2017. Qatari diplomats responded to the Egyptian calls for an investigation by reaffirming their commitment to the UN resolutions towards eliminating the financing of terrorism.[132][133]

Eritrea refused a request by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to cut relations with Qatar, citing its "strong ties with the brother people of Qatar."[134] On 12 June, however, they issued a statement critical of Qatar "one initiative among many in the right direction that envisages full realization of regional security and stability" while not breaking off relations themselves.[135]

The United Kingdom's foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, stated that Qatar needs to do more to stop the funding of extremist groups but also urged Gulf states to ease the blockade.[136]

In June 2017, the government of Qatar hired American attorney and politician John Ashcroft to lobby on its behalf and rebut international allegations of supporting terror.[137][138][139][140]

Reaction of non-governmental organizations

Amnesty International condemned the crisis and accused Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the (UAE) of toying with people's lives. James Lynch, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Global Issues Programme, claimed "These drastic measures are already having a brutal effect, splitting children from parents and husbands from wives. People from across the region – not only from Qatar, but also from the states implementing these measures – risk losing jobs and having their education disrupted. All the states involved in this dispute must ensure their actions do not lead to human rights violations." Amnesty International received reports from victims unable to visit their family members, students being stranded and workers being unable to return to their jobs in opposing nations.[141]

The Norwegian Refugee Council expressed fears that the crisis would affect reconstruction in Palestine, as Qatar is a major source of humanitarian and infrastructure aid to Palestine.[142][143]

In June 2017, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor released a report showing the catastrophic effects of Saudi- led blockade on Qatar. Because of Saudi’s procedures, the report said that more than 6000 families will be displaced because one of the parents is a Qatari citizen and the other holds a passport of one of the “siege countries”. The report also explained blockade’s effect on work and labor rights in Qatar as nearly 2,000 workers who have Saudi, Bahraini or Emirati citizenship will be forced to leave their jobs in Qatar.[144]

In July 2017, Human Rights Watch said that the isolation of Qatar represents a severe violation of human rights principles. The international organization revealed that the blockade reflects negatively on the right to freedom of expression. In addition, the siege caused in separating families, interrupting medical, interrupting education, and stranding migrant workers without food or water. Furthermore, the organization discussed the Blockade’s side effects on travel to and from Qatar.[145]

Logistical implications

On 6 June 2017, Emirates Post of UAE, halted postal services to Qatar.[146]

Nearly 80 percent of Qatar's food requirements come from Gulf Arab neighbors, with only 1 percent being produced domestically and even imports from outside the Gulf states usually crossing the now closed land border with Saudi Arabia.[147] Immediately after the cutting of relations, local reports indicated residents swarmed grocery stores in hopes of stockpiling food. Many food delivery trucks were idled along the Saudi-Qatari border. On 8 June 2017 Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said, "We're not worried about a food shortage, we're fine. We can live forever like this, we are well prepared." Qatar has been in talks with both Turkey and Iran to secure supply of water and food. On 11 June 2017 Iran sent four cargo planes with fruit and vegetables and promised to continue the supply.[148] Turkey has pledged food and water supplies to go along with their troop deployment at their Turkish military base in Qatar.[123]

Air travel

Large airlines based in these countries, including Emirates, suspended flight service to Qatar.[149][150] Gulf Air,[151] EgyptAir,[152] FlyDubai, Air Arabia, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Etihad Airways and Royal Air Maroc[153] suspended their flights to and from Qatar.[154] Bahrain,[155] Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are also banning overflights by aircraft registered in Qatar (A7). Instead Qatar has rerouted flights to Africa and Europe via Iran,[44] paying a “hefty” overflight fee for each such flight.[156]

Qatar Airways in response also suspended their flight operations to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain.[154][157]

Pakistan International Airlines sent special flights to bring back over 200 Pakistani pilgrims stuck at Doha airport.[158] Over 550 Pakistani pilgrims in Doha were subsequently flown to Muscat.[159]

Private jet travel is also being impacted by the crisis. Business aviation officials said private flights between Qatar and the countries that cut diplomatic ties now need to make a technical stop in a third country. Aircraft registered in Qatar cannot fly to the countries that cut diplomatic ties and vice versa. While business jet operators can request a nonstop routing, two officials said requests so far have been turned down necessitating a stop in a third country.[160]

Due to the blockade of Qatar Airways from the airspace of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, Oman Air has taken up a significant role transporting travelers from and to Doha, mostly through Iranian airspace, while still allowing Qatar passport holders to book flights. The travel embargo has had a significant impact on foreign nationals living and working in Qatar, with about 100,000 Egyptians and citizens from other countries stranded there, unable to book direct flights or obtain travel documents for their return.[161] Per request from Qatar, the blockade is currently under review by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN-agency seeking "consensus-based solutions" for the resolution of the crisis.

On 31 July 2017, the agency announced that Qatar Airways will have access to three contingency routes over international waters in early August based on a preliminary agreement reached with the Saudi aviation authority (GACA) early that month. The ICAO, based in Montréal, also reminded all member countries to comply with the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its addendums.[162]

Shipping

The United Arab Emirates banned Qatar-flagged ships from calling at Fujairah. It also banned vessels from Qatar from the port and vessels at the port from sailing directly to Qatar.[163] Similar restrictions were put in place at Jebel Ali, which pre-boycott used to handle over 85% of shipborne cargo for Qatar.[156] Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also banned Qatar-flagged ships from their ports.[164]

On 8 June 2017 shipping giant Maersk was unable to transport in or out of Qatar entirely. Due to Qatar's shallow ports, large cargo ships are required to dock at Jebel Ali or other nearby ports where a feeder service transports the goods into Qatar.[165] In response, Maersk and also Swiss-based MSC[166] vessels for Qatar were rerouted to Salalah and Sohar in Oman.[167] Particularly smaller shipments of perishable and frozen foods have taken that route.

On 12 June 2017, Chinese shipping company COSCO announced suspension of services to and from Qatar. Taiwan's Evergreen Marine and Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line have already suspended services.[168]

Media ban

Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, the Attorney-General of the United Arab Emirates announced on 7 June that publishing expressions of sympathy towards Qatar through social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form is considered illegal under UAE's Federal Penal Code and the Federal law on Combating Information Technology Crimes. Violators of this offense face between 3 to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to 500,000 emirati dirhams ($136,000) or both.[169] Bahrain also issued a similar statement with penalty up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine.[170]

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE all blocked access to Qatari news agencies, including one of the most popular Arab news outlets, Qatar-based Al Jazeera.[171] Saudi Arabia shut down the local office of Al Jazeera Media Network.[43] The BBC speculated that changes to Al-Jazeera would be a necessary part of any peaceful resolution.[172] Furthermore, they will arrest people that wear clothes ( t shirts ) that support Qatar or Qatari companies.[173]

The Qatar-based beIN Sports channels were also initially banned in June in the UAE.[174] Over a month later, the UAE restored normal access to beIN Sports channels via its local telecom providers. Whilst no official reasons were given for the restoration, beIN Sports continues to hold exclusive rights in the MENA region to air various significant sports competitions, such as the Premier League, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.[175][176]

Finances

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See also: Economy of Qatar

The International Monetary Fund said it was too soon to judge the economic impact of the diplomatic crisis.[177] Standard & Poor's downgraded Qatar's debt by one notch from AA to AA-.[178] Qatar's stock market dropped 7.3% on the first day of the crisis, and reached a 9.7% drop by 8 June.[179]

As per S&P Global Ratings, banks in Qatar are strong enough to survive a withdrawal of all Gulf country deposits.[180]

Energy

Qatar is a global leader in liquefied natural gas production. Despite the severing of ties, Qatari natural gas continues to flow to the UAE and Oman through Abu Dhabi based Dolphin Energy's pipeline. The pipeline meets about 30–40 percent of UAE's energy needs.[181] Shipping constraints from the crisis have also rerouted multiple shipments of oil and gas to and from the Gulf, which has caused reverberations in many local energy markets. On 8 June 2017 in the United Kingdom, with nearly a third of all imported gas arriving from Qatar, gas futures spiked nearly 4 percent.[182] A secondary effect of the dispute has been on worldwide supplies of helium, which is often extracted from natural gas. Qatar is the world's second largest supplier of helium (the US ranks first).[183]

Demands on Qatar and responses

On 22 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain issued Qatar a list of 13 demands through Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator, that Qatar should agree in full within 10 days, which expired on 2 July 2017. According to reports on 23 June, these demands included:[184][185][128]

  • Close Al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations
  • Close other news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.
  • Close the Turkish military base in Qatar, and terminate the Turkish military presence and any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar.
  • Reduce diplomatic relations with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US and international sanctions will be permitted.[186]
  • Expel any members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and cut off military and intelligence cooperation with Iran.[187]
  • "Qatar must announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organizations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaeda's branch in Syria" according to one Arab official
  • Surrender all designated terrorists in Qatar, and stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists
  • End interference in the four countries' domestic and foreign affairs and having contact with their political opposition
  • Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.
  • Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries' laws.[186]
  • Payment of reparations for years of alleged wrongs
  • Monitoring for 10 years[184]
  • Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.[186]

According to a report by Qatar owned Al-Jazeera "Qatari officials immediately dismissed the document as neither reasonable or actionable." Iran denounced the blockade. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that some of the demands would be very hard to meet but encouraged further dialog.[188]

On 3 July, Saudi Arabia accepted a Kuwaiti request for the deadline to be extended by 48 hours.[189]

On 5 July, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain foreign ministers met in Cairo after receiving response from Qatar to their list of demands. The meeting aimed to resolve the dispute ended in a stalemate when Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said that political and economic boycott will remain on Qatar until it changes its policies.[190] Also on the same day, the Saudi-led bloc said it no longer insisting it to comply with its 13 specific demands they tabled last month. Instead, it asked Qatar to accept six broad principles, which includes commitments to combat terrorism, extremism, to end acts of provocation, and incitement.[191]

But, by 30 July, the 13 demands were reinstated.[192]

Position of Iran

Iran has encouraged dialogue and called for peaceful resolution[193][82][83] to the GCC-Qatar conflict.

Position of Turkey

On 23 June 2017, Turkey rejected demands to shut down its military base in the country.[194]

Violation of human rights

Human Rights Watch said that the isolation of the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is causing serious human rights violations, violating the right to freedom of expression, dispersing families and stopping medical care. It also leads to the interruption of education. Currently, travel to and from Qatar is restricted and land borders with Saudi Arabia are closed.

Human Rights Watch documented 50 cases of citizens from Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and more than 70 foreign expatriates living in Qatar, whose rights were violated due to restrictive policies imposed since 5 June. There were 11,327 Gulf citizen in Qatar and about 1927 in Qatar in the other Gulf countries as the Qatari National Human Rights Commission announced on 1 July[195].

NHRC pointed that the isolation affected all aspects of life, where families are sperated, medical care, education, worker, and businessmen[196].

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates ordered to expulse all Qatari from their countries and requested from their citizen to return from Qatar within 14 days - by 19 June. The three countries also completed all direct commercial flights to and from Doha, forcing returnees to return through a third country, usually Oman or Kuwait. They also rerouted their flights outside the airspace of Qatar, and some threatened their nationals who remained in Qatar with specific penalties[197].

Article 26 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights (the Arab Charter), ratified by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, prohibits the arbitrary expulsion of foreigners and any collective expulsion[198].

Entire families were separated in 4 countries forcibly: parents for children and wives for husbands and sisters for siblings.[clarification needed] In July 1, according to the Qatari National Human Rights Committee, 480 files related to family separation had been received, but they believe the number is higher[199].

See also

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References

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  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Erika Solomon, The $1bn hostage deal that enraged Qatar’s Gulf rivals: Doha reportedly paid al-Qaeda affiliate and Iran to win release of royal hunting party Archived 8 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Financial Times (5 June 2017).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.(subscription required)
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ "Hack, fake story expose real tensions between Qatar, Gulf Archived 10 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine". Fox News Channel. 24 May 2017.
  21. ↑ "Trump's 'Arab NATO' Vision is a Desert Mirage". Stratfor. 31 May 2017.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Evan Perez & Shimon Prokupecz, US suspects Russian hackers planted fake news behind Qatar crisis Archived 10 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, CNN (6 June 2017).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Patrick Wintour, Russian hackers to blame for sparking Qatar crisis, FBI inquiry finds Archived 11 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine (7 June 2017).
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Mark Landler, Trump Takes Credit for Saudi Move Against Qatar, a U.S. Military Partner Archived 11 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times (6 June 2017).
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  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ "Saudi central bank tells banks not to trade with Qatar banks in Qatari riyals: sources" Archived 3 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Reuters
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    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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