RIYADH — Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Tuesday, July 22, met Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Jeddah for talks that focused on the situation in Gaza.
“Qatar is committed to the Palestinian people and wants to do everything to stop the killing,” said a Doha-based source “The emir’s visit to Saudi comes as part of that.”
The meeting is the first for the two monarchs since a major rift between Qatar and Saudi Arabia earlier this year. It comes as Doha has emerged as a possible peacemaker after Hamas rejected a proposal for a ceasefire by Egypt, a close ally of Saudi Arabia.
Qatar bankrolled the elected Muslim Brotherhood government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the military a year ago.
Saudi Arabia has since poured in money to support Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the takeover in Egypt and has since been elected president after outlawing the Brotherhood.
Under his rule, Egypt has tightened its hold on the southern end of the Gaza Strip, closing tunnels to try to block supplies of weapons and prevent militants crossing.
Egyptian officials suspect Qatar encouraged Hamas to reject the ceasefire plan Cairo put forward last week. Hamas sources in Doha, however, say Qatar did not influence their decisions.
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