Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that the situation in the Red Sea is highly critical because it affects the entire world, not just the region. He emphasized that a military option would not resolve the current crisis in the Red Sea.
The Qatari Prime Minister called for urgently finding ways to end the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, releasing hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and expressed Qatar’s belief that defusing the conflict in Gaza would halt escalation on other fronts.
He called for a focus on resolving the major conflict in Gaza instead of concentrating on minor crises, stating that alternative routes to the Red Sea are less efficient, and any solutions that do not address the war in Gaza are temporary. He affirmed that there is no magical formula to return to the pre-October 7th situation without a real implementation of a two-state solution.
He pointed out that many countries do not believe in the effectiveness of reconstructing Gaza amid frequent Israeli escalations in the enclave.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Thani mentioned that Arabs have proposed solutions and initiatives, but the Israelis have rejected them, insisting that not granting Palestinians their state and replacing it with normalization does not solve the issue.
He noted that the situation in the West Bank is no less severe than in the Gaza Strip, yet there is no real response from the international community.
The Qatari Prime Minister said, “In our region, we have a recipe ready for escalation everywhere, and proxies that appear every time.”
He highlighted that Iran and the Gulf states are neighbors with an understanding of how to find common interests through dialogue. There are significant possibilities if Iran and countries in the region agree, which would also have an impact on regional security.
Dr. Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed the Qatari Prime Minister’s continued advocacy for immediate mediation to stop the war on Gaza.
He stated that ending the tension in the Red Sea can only be achieved via a political solution by stopping the war in Gaza, and regional ramifications will persist if the war does not cease.
Al-Ansari clarified that from day one, Qatar’s position has been that the expansion of the conflict in Gaza would have serious repercussions. He said that the international community is now required to make a clear decision to immediately halt the war in Gaza.
