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By : Mohammed Al-Hammadi

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:: Does Qatar know what it means to enter the world of international demands and resort to the UN Security Council and international courts?

I do not think Qatari officials understand this well. They think it’s a game like the one they’re playing with Twitter and social media users, Azmi Bishara’s groups and the Brotherhood who provided them with media coverage and fame.

Qatari officials think this approach can help them drag Saudi Arabia or the UAE or the members of the Coalition to Support the Legitimacy in Yemen or the four countries which boycotted Doha to international arenas where they can hold them accountable.

This Qatari storm in a teacup does not influence Saudi Arabia or the boycotting countries at all. The opposite is in fact true as UAE’s foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed recently affirmed: “We guarantee that any measures we take will comply with the international law.”

These countries did not take a single step before studying the consequences of their decisions, and they have now put Qatar in a very difficult situation where Doha’s electronic brigades, satellite channels and yellow journalism will not be of any use.

Doha must think a thousand times before it heads to the UN or the UN Security Council to file a complaint against Saudi Arabia

Mohammed Al-Hammadi

Calm and wise

The boycotting countries exercise wisdom and calm and they still look at Qatar as their brother, neighbor and partner. By doing so, they are betting on Qatar’s return to its senses – though we think that is a small possibility. The wisdom and patience of the leaders of the four countries give Doha time and space to think.

Another point that may interest Qatar is that the ministers of the four countries calling for combating terrorism confirmed following their meeting on Sunday in Manama that the door is open for Qatar’s return.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed said: “We voice our readiness to hold dialogue with Qatar on condition that it confirms its determination and efforts to stop supporting terrorism and extremism.” If Qatar is willing to accept this condition, then it must do something that demonstrates it is serious about cooperating with its neighbors.

A famous Arab proverb says: “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at people.” Qatar’s small house is entirely made of glass yet Qatari officials continue to throw stones at their brothers and neighbors.

Funding terrorism

Qatar harbors terrorists like Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Wagdy Ghoneim and Brotherhood and Taliban members and it funds terrorist groups like the Houthis, ISIS and Popular Mobilization.

It resorted to tricks like abductions to pay ransoms that fund and support terrorist and extremism groups. Qatar’s hands are stained as they’ve supported violence in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Doha must think a thousand times before it heads to the UN or the UN Security Council to file a complaint against Saudi Arabia.

It must think a hundred times before it stands with Iran and opposes countries that are working in favor of the region’s stability and security as the price which it will pay will be much higher than others.

So does Qatar know the end-result of this path to internationalize the crisis? Or all it knows is how to be stubborn and oppose brothers and go to international organizations without fully comprehending international laws and what it may confront if they’re imposed on it?

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:: Mohammed Al-Hammadi is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Ittihad newspaper and Executive Director of editing and publishing at the Abu Dhabi Media Company. He founded and was Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic edition of National Geographic magazine, and has held numerous positions in journalism since joining Al Ittihad in 1994. Al-Hammadi has been a columnist for more than 15 years, including writing a daily column for seven years and producing a weekly political column in Al Ittihad since 2001. He has also worked as a parliamentary editor for seven years, covering the proceedings of the Federal National Council in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to being an active participant on social networks, Al-Hammadi has an interest in new media and is currently working on a project to ease the transition from traditional to digital and smart media. Al-Hammadi has received numerous awards and is a member of a number of organizations and federations. He features regularly in broadcast media as a regional political commentator and has authored several books including Time of Ordeal (2008), The UAE Democracy (2009) and The Fall of the Muslim Brotherhood (2016). Twitter: @MEalhammadi.

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:: Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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