Prime minister calls for economic and strategic support to Palestine

Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, who is also head of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee, called on Arab countries to honor their commitment of economic support to the Palestinian people. His Excellency also urged the Arab nations to do anything more than releasing statements of condemnation and denouncement. HE the Prime Minister was speaking at the opening of the extraordinary Arab Ministerial Meeting in Cairo and warned of the deteriorating conditions in Gaza Strip due to Israel’s military operations there. The deteriorating conditions were evident when HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa visited Gaza recently, His Excellency said. HE the Prime Minister began his speech by praying to Allah Almighty to grant the Palestinian martyrs forgiveness and prayed for patience and fortitude to reign over their families and loved ones. HE the Prime Minister that the current Arab meeting must not serve as a waste of time and money, calling for a complete re-evaluation of the peace process and new strategies to deal with it. His excellency added that the re-evaluation was needed now since all Arab countries knew who conspired against the Palestinian issue and was responsible for the Gaza siege in 2008. HE the Prime Minister said that Arab countries have a responsibility of not giving the Palestinians false hope and added that Arab countries, if they were unable to end the Gaza siege, must not be a part of it. HE the Prime Minister said that in light of the Arab spring, the Arab world needs a new and clear plan to deal with the Palestinian cause and the Gaza siege, stressing that finding a new plan was a priority since peace talks were at a stalemate. His excellency stressed that no party should use Arab countries and that any party that would not follow the new plan to deal with the Palestinian cause must not be considered “a friend or a brother.”