Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari said that a permanent solution for the main issue in the Middle East “which is the Palestinian problem” cannot be fixed by military actions.
Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari warned that the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza could have far-reaching economic consequences across the Middle East unless urgently resolved through non-military means.
“The solution is really to look for a permanent solution for the main issue in the Middle East which is the Palestinian problem. This cannot be fixed by military actions,” Ali Al Kuwari told Reuters in Davos.
“If you leave them long term unresolved, we will always go through cycles of violence, cycles of unrest, and which always will slow down the region,” he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss mountain resort.
Mediated by Qatar — the host of a Hamas political bureau — and Egypt, a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel from November 24 to December 1 saw the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza as well as 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
The Israeli genocide in Gaza has so far killed at least 24,448 Palestinians since October 7.
In support of Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as resistance groups in Iraq and Yemen have attacked targets in the region.
Qatar’s call for the cessation of massacres in Gaza comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that the ongoing war in Gaza may rage on until 2025.
The warning was delivered during a meeting with Israeli leaders from settlements and kibbutzes near Gaza at the southern command headquarters in Beersheba.
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s determination to continue its relentless military offence in Gaza until Hamas is completely defeated.
The ongoing Israeli assaults have led to the displacement of almost all of Gaza’s residents, exacerbating the risk of famine and disease for survivors.
Israel’s restriction on aid entry and the evacuation of those requiring urgent medical attention have aggravated the crisis in the Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning also comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told him that there is no military solution to Hamas in Gaza on Wednesday as Washington’s frustration towards the Israeli premier mounts, NBC reported, citing anonymous officials.
The report detailed the Joe Biden administration’s increased pressure on Netanyahu over his rejection of a post-war Gaza proposal presented by the U.S. last week, as the war entered its 100th day.
