Qatar Seeking to 'De-Escalate Situation' in Israel-Palestine

Facts

• A Qatari official said on Friday that the Gulf nation is working to de-escalate the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, as tensions have soared in recent months, saying that Qatar is acting as a mediator.¹
• Qatar is reportedly seeking to “deescalate the situation on all sides,” and its 'primary goal' is to prevent unnecessary bloodshed and avoid destructive consequences for Palestinians and civilians. However, the details of Qatar's mediation are unclear, as Qatar doesn't have official diplomatic relations with Israel.²
• Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani also spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, regarding recent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which has been a flashpoint of violence in the last week.³
• Tensions were particularly high with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish Passover celebrations overlapping last week. Al-Aqsa, which is considered one of the holiest sites in Islam, is also a major holy site in Judaism — which calls the hillside of the site Temple Mount.⁴
• Israeli police, saying that they were preventing 'agitators' from barricading themselves inside the mosque, have raided the holy site multiple times. However, Palestinian sources described the confrontation as an unjustified attack on worshippers.⁵
• The situation in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel continues to deteriorate as violence has worsened in the last year due to an increase in Israeli raids in the West Bank following a spree of Palestinian attacks in Israel. In May 2021, an 11-day conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, which was sparked by confrontations at Al-Aqsa.⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²CNN, ³Menafn.com, ⁴Guardian and ⁵Al arabiya english.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Doha news. Qatar is playing an important role in de-escalating an incredibly tense situation. Israel is clearly the only aggressor. However, mediation is still necessary. Israel can simultaneously be held accountable for brutalizing Palestinians, while regional states can try to be realistic in terms of their impact on the ground. Ultimately, Qatar is serving a positive and productive function in this volatile situation.
• Narrative B, as provided by Jns.org. Though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may think diplomacy is the best method of managing Israel's relationship with Qatar, Qatar is a rabidly anti-Israel and terror-supporting state that will never act in good faith. The oil-rich Gulf monarchy actively supports Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region, and thus Israel must be ready to stand up to Doha.