PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: (Via interpreter) In the name of God most gracious, most compassionate, may the peace and blessings of God be upon you.
Allow me at the outset to welcome my colleague, His Excellency the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. Antony Blinken.
We meet here today, a year after the war on Gaza started, and this conflict has evolved. It has now encompassed Lebanon and other regions in the Middle East. Our meeting today was a very important and constructive meeting. We had the chance to discuss first the latest developments on the war in Gaza and the road to reach a solution and the continuous efforts between the state of Qatar and the United States and Egypt and our partners in the region to reach a solution, first, to stop the war; and to release the hostages and the detainees.
Unfortunately, since the very beginning of this war, we have been warning against the expansion of this conflict to other areas, to other regions in the Middle East. We see that today, as well, this war has expanded to Lebanon and other areas. This is why we had a discussion on the means to stop the war in Lebanon, and this has taken a large part of our meeting today. We discussed how to reach a pressing and urgent solution to end this attack on the brotherly country of Lebanon, and to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions, especially 1701.
We saw, unfortunately, in the last few days intense attacks by Israel on Gaza, especially in the northern part of Gaza, and the continuous siege on Gaza and the systematic bombing of hospitals, of refugee camps. We also saw the situation evolving into throwing explosive barrels on our brothers and sisters in Gaza. We see that this painful period that we're going through in this region has to end as soon as possible. Everybody should have a spirit of responsibility vis-à-vis the innocent and the civilians in the region.
We also had the opportunity to discuss the importance of finding a sustainable solution to the Palestinian cause, the so-called next day in Gaza, and to get to peace in the region in general. Our discussions today about this dossier were constructive, and we had a number of proposals. We discussed many of those proposals. How can we get to a stable and sustainable situation in Gaza, but also in the West Bank, to get to a sustainable solution for the Palestinian cause, and to keep the two-state solution as the key reference to this whole process?
I would like to thank Your Excellency for visiting Doha. Your visit today came at a very timely opportunity, and it is part of your visit in the region, and we are confident that, through this partnership, with our commitment and your commitment to this partnership with Qatar, with the region, we can reach peace in the region. Thank you, Your Excellency, for being with us today, and we wish you all the best in your continuous efforts.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Prime Minister, my friend, thank you. Thank you for the very good meetings today. I want to also express my appreciation to the amir and, more generally, my appreciation, our appreciation to Qatar for the essential role that it plays as our partner in trying to bring peace, trying to bring stability, trying to bring progress to this region. Qatar has played an indispensable role in the work to bring the hostages home, to end the war, and to chart a better future for people in Gaza.
And I have to say, as well, the prime minister personally has spared no effort to work to bring the hostages home in his role as mediator. And we had an opportunity today to talk about the way forward on the effort to bring the hostages home and to get a ceasefire. Partly, this involves an assessment of exactly where Hamas stands in the wake of the death of Sinwar. We talked about that, we talked about options to capitalize on this moment and next steps to move the process forward, and I anticipate that our negotiators will be getting together in the coming days.
But as you heard the prime minister say, it's also essential, even as we're working on that effort, that we continue to develop a plan for what follows so that Israel can withdraw from Gaza, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures under Palestinian leadership. Throughout this trip, including with the prime minister and the amir today, we discussed the concrete ideas that we've been developing for security, for governance, for reconstruction in Gaza. This is a moment for every country to decide what role it's prepared to play and what contributions it could make in moving Gaza from war to peace.
And as I said the other day, I think this is a pivotal moment for that question because Israel has accomplished the strategic goals that it set out for itself: making sure that October 7th and the horrors can never happen again by effectively dismantling the military organization of Hamas - it succeeded in doing that - and bringing to justice its leaders, those who perpetrated the horrors of October 7th, notably Sinwar.
Now that that's been accomplished, this is a moment to work to end this war, to bring - make sure all the hostages are home, and to build a better future for people in Gaza. And as I said, the - it's necessary, in order to do that, to make sure that we have the appropriate plans in place. And we did have a productive discussion on that.
Meanwhile, even as we're working on all of this, it is imperative that we continue to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the extraordinary challenges that the children, the women, the men of Gaza are encountering every single day. And that's all the more urgent with winter approaching, and we're deeply conscious of that. Here again, I have to say Qatar's generosity over these many months has been extraordinary: thousands of tons of food, of medical supplies, of lifesaving assistance for the people of Gaza.
The United States, as the largest provider of aid to displaced Palestinians, is also continuing to make vital contributions. Today, we're announcing an additional $135 million in humanitarian assistance - water, sanitation, maternal health - for Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, as well as in the region. And I would note that since October 7th of last year, our humanitarian assistance by the United States now totals more than $1.2 billion[1].
But we all know that it's not enough to provide funding. It's not even enough to get the assistance to the borders of Gaza. What's so critical is that the aid gets to the people who need it. Secretary Austin and I emphasized in a letter that we wrote recently to our counterparts in Israel the imperative of Israel taking urgent and sustained action to make sure aid can get to those who need it.
We have a list of very specific actions that we are tracking every single day. Now, there's been progress since we sent that letter, some positive steps, including the opening of the Erez passage, the decision to restart the Khan Younis desalination plant that will give more than a million Gazans access to clean water, some other steps that have been taken.
But this is not yet enough. And we will continue to press for - and take necessary measures to ensure - that we get greater progress and that we get greater results in making sure aid gets to those who need it.
The prime minister also noted that we've been deeply focused from day one on trying to ensure that the conflict in Gaza does not spread more broadly throughout the region. And even as we have real challenges, we're working to make sure that we don't see a major escalation and major conflicts develop elsewhere.
With regard to Iran, we, of course, are concerned about the potential for broader conflict, particularly since Iran launched its second direct attack on Israel, using ballistic missiles just 23 days ago.
The United States supports Israel's right to defend itself, and we've been in close coordination with Israel on what is necessary to deter further aggression from Iran and to ensure that any response does not lead to an endless cycle of escalation.
We're also continuing to work with our partners in the region to make very clear to Iran that further attacks against Israel will have deeply negative consequences for Iran's interests. We're very attentive to the fact that the risk of broader conflict is high, and that's all the more reason why we're determined and acting to try to make sure that we prevent that.
And then finally, on Lebanon, we've spent some good time both with the amir and with the prime minister talking about the conflict there and, as well, the important role that Qatar's been playing, including as a leading donor of humanitarian assistance.
As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead - should not lead - to a protracted campaign and that Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Right now, we're working intensely to reach a diplomatic resolution, one that sees the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and, as a result, allows civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes and to be able to live there in peace and security.
We're also committed to building up and supporting Lebanese efforts to build up their own institutions - free from the grip of Hizballah - so that the people of Lebanon have more security, more opportunity, more prosperity.
Here again, Qatar has provided essential assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including salaries and fuel. We're working with other partners to provide the Lebanese Armed Forces with the resources they need so that they can take greater responsibility for security throughout Lebanon and making sure that Lebanon can reassert its sovereignty.
We'll continue to support the Lebanese parties as they work to resolve the presidential vacancy and empower leadership that reflects the will of the Lebanese people.
So in each of these areas, we have a very full and very active agenda. And again, I'm very grateful for the partnership of Qatar in working to bring greater peace and greater security throughout the region.
We're happy to take some questions.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) The first question from Al Jazeera, Mr. Suhaib al-Assa.
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Your Excellency the Prime Minister of Qatar, you're speaking when talking about mediation about the two sides, the two parties of the conflict. But is there pressure put on these two parties, especially that the last success was in November?
And today you speak about a fruitful meeting regarding the war in Gaza. Are there any indicators that this is going to reflect on the ground and that the war will end soon with the pressure by the mediators on both parties?
And a question to His Excellency the Secretary of State Blinken. You were saying that this meeting was also fruitful. You spoke about the post-Sinwar period, as a leader of Hamas. But Hamas says that this is a strategic issue for it, and it's not related to specific people. So what is the U.S. approach to end the war, while taking into account that Israel did not give any indicators so far to end the war and continues to attack Gaza? Two hundred thousand people are being starved, forcefully displaced, and collectively killed. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: (Via interpreter) Thank you for your question. Regarding the efforts to end the war, the efforts continue. The efforts continue since the 8th of October, first to prevent the war from starting initially, and then to prevent it from expanding, and then to contain it. And as I've mentioned, the efforts in November - as you've mentioned, the efforts in November have led to releasing some hostages, some prisoners, and a temporary ceasefire. Unfortunately, since then we have been trying as much as we can to get to an agreement to end the war.
Unfortunately, the negotiations have gone through different phases, and those phases included big challenges. And every time we got closer to a solution, unfortunately, there were many steps back.
Now, regarding my meeting with His Excellency Secretary Blinken and saying that it was fruitful, of course it would be. His visit to the region is important. And we have been informed of the results of the talks that he had in Israel and what is the direction being taken right now and talking mostly and most importantly about the Palestinian issue. This is the focus - or this has been the focus of our meeting.
Now, regarding negotiations, there is a negotiating delegation from the United States that will be visiting Doha to meet the negotiators from Israel. And we will discuss the means to - like, the means for a breakthrough in these negotiations.
Now, regarding opportunities, opportunities abound if both parties have the will to end the war. And as we had mentioned earlier, more than once, the mediators play a very limited role, should there be any of the parties that refuse to be constructively a part and positively part of these negotiations. And we hope that this has changed now, this behavior has changed.
The pressure from our side will continue on both parties to reach an end to the war. This is a priority of ours. And I think His Excellency the Secretary of State in his statement just mentioned that the United States has the same priority, and we look forward to positive results. Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yes, thank you for the question. Look, we are intensely focused on bringing the hostages home, ending the war, alleviating the suffering of Palestinian children, women, and men in Gaza, and we've been working closely together to try to do that for many months. Now, we have seen the quickest way to get there as being through a ceasefire and hostage deal - again, what we've been working on.
The reason I believe there's opportunity now is because the biggest obstacle to concluding that agreement was Sinwar, and the fact that he is no longer with us perhaps creates an opening for actually moving forward and concluding an agreement. In our judgment, one of the things that Sinwar was looking at and hoping for was the potential for wider conflict. If he could create a multifront war with Hizballah attacking Israel, potentially with Iran attacking Israel, then he could just sit back and wait, and not make any decisions on a ceasefire and on getting hostages home.
Well, he has now been removed from the equation and, of course, we're working intensely to make sure that this conflict doesn't spread, we don't have wider wars. And all of this, perhaps, will focus Hamas on the imperative of concluding a deal. If it cares about the people of Gaza, then it will engage and it will conclude some kind of agreement, and that can be the critical first step to getting a sustained agreement - something that brings enduring peace and security.
Now, the other part of this, as I said just a moment ago, is the importance - and I think even the urgency - of making sure that we have a plan for what follows, a plan that allows Israel to leave, that makes sure that Hamas can't reconstitute, and that supports the Palestinian people in the governance, the security, the rebuilding of Gaza. And we had very productive discussions on that question today as well.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) The next question is from BBC.
QUESTION: Thank you very much, indeed. Mr. Secretary, you said just a moment ago you anticipate negotiators will be getting together in the coming days. Could you just give us a bit more detail, perhaps about when and who and how significant that is?
And moving on to what's happening on the ground in Gaza, the war crimes lawyer Philippe Sands told the BBC yesterday that it is "impossible to see what is going on now in Gaza…and not say crimes are screaming out." We know that Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council the U.S. is watching to ensure a, quote, "policy of starvation" is not being carried out by Israel. The newspaper Haaretz this month quoted three reserve soldiers in Gaza saying it was their impression that the so-called generals' plan was being carried out. One said commanders openly refer to it. "People sat and wrote a systematic order with charts and an operational concept," they said, "at the end of which you [were to] shoot whoever isn't willing to leave."
And we know the Israeli leadership denies this is happening, because you asked them on Tuesday, but the former deputy head of Israel's national security council, Eren Etzion, has described northern Gaza as "a very dangerous erosion of norms," saying that war crimes may be taking place, and if a soldier is expected to commit there, they must refuse.
So my question is: Do you agree with that? If an Israeli soldier is ordered to carry out any part of this apparent plan today, should they refuse?
And Mr. Prime Minister, do you agree with the Americans' assessment that Yahya Sinwar was the chief obstacle to a ceasefire deal? And following that, I mean, who are you talking to in Hamas at the moment? Are you getting any engagement? Are they prepared to come back to the table? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Great. Thank you, Tom. First on negotiations, on negotiators, on the when, where, the who, can I provide more information? The answer is no, but that will unfold in the coming days. All I can tell you is what I said earlier, and what the prime minister noted, is that we do anticipate that the negotiators will be getting together in the coming days. And again, what we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage, and I believe that we'll be able to do that starting in the coming days.
With regard to the so-called generals' plan in the north, let me just state again, first, the United States fully and fundamentally rejects it. Second, as I told you the other day, the Government of Israel says that it is not the policy of Israel and also rejects the plan. We reject any effort to create a siege, to starve people, to hive off northern Gaza from the rest of Gaza. We've been very clear about that. We'll remain very clear about that. But again, from the words of the prime minister directly to me, that is not Israel's policy.
Second, we're intensely focused on the situation for people in Gaza, and particularly making sure that they get the assistance they need, but also making sure that the norms of international humanitarian law are upheld. And indeed, the letter that Secretary Austin and I wrote recently to our counterparts is based on that fundamental premise, and everything that we're doing and everything that we're focused on involves making sure, to the best of our ability, that those norms are upheld, and that we're maximizing the ability both to protect people and to make sure that they're getting the help that they need. And as I said a few moments ago, this is a matter of great urgency and intense focus for us right now and in the days ahead.
PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: Just answering to your question whether we see Sinwar as an obstacle, I'm just - I need to be very clear and very mindful that our role as a mediator, we fully respect it. And our policy, we don't speak about any party who would represent obstacle and start to point on one over the other. Yet, we have - throughout the process that we've been through in mediation in different fronts, we have never seen something like this being in the media, more on - in the negotiation room. So you can go throughout the process and you can see on each stage where it stopped, and it will be very clear who is stopping at each stage of that. So I just wanted to make sure that there is nothing from Qatar will say on one party or another.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) We have the third question from Reuters.
QUESTION: Thank you, and thank you for the opportunity to ask questions today. This impending round of negotiations - will this include Gaza and Lebanon, or will this round of negotiations in Doha only be focused on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza? Could you also please talk about what kind of deal will be on the table? Is this President Biden's proposal from May, or will this be something new; and if it's new, what will it be? And will we see these negotiations take place before the U.S. election?
And then perhaps for both of you, Israel yesterday accused six colleagues from Al Jazeera of being members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, and Jazeera has condemned this, calling those allegations unfounded and suggesting that that may be justification for Israel's targeting of journalists. What is - I'd like to hear from both of you about your response to this latest development regarding Al Jazeera and its journalists in Gaza. Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: I'm happy to start. So in referring to negotiators coming back together, that was referring specifically to negotiations on the return of hostages and a ceasefire for Gaza, and that is the entire focus of their work. Separate from that is work that we're doing also very intensely on Lebanon to reach a diplomatic resolution, to see the full implementation of 1701, to enable people to return to their homes. That's separate but it's equally intense and involves a lot of work in trying to get clear understandings of how we would implement 1701, and I think we're making progress on that.
Going back to the negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage deal, I think one of the things we're doing is looking at whether there are different options that we can pursue to get us to a conclusion, to get us to a result. And so we're talking both with our mediating partners in Qatar and in Egypt about that, and this is something that the negotiators will be discussing as well when they get together.
With regard to the report on Al Jazeera, I can't speak to the veracity of that report. It clearly needs to be examined. We very much support the work of journalists in Gaza and everywhere else around the world, including in areas of conflict. And we're equally determined that journalists be protected. Far too many have lost their lives in Gaza. We're determined to do what we can to ensure that, again, they can do their work as safely and securely as possible, recognizing that in any conflict zone, of course, there's inherent danger. But it's imperative that this work continue. The United States strongly supports it.
PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: Well, I'm sorry, I just need - because there was a part of your question previously I didn't answer. I missed it. It's my mistake. I didn't bring my pen so - and your question was too long, honestly, so - (laughter). I mean - regarding our communication with Hamas and the leadership after Sinwar, yes, we are engaged with them. We've been in engagement with a representative from the political office in Doha. We had some meetings with them the last couple of days. I believe that until now there is no clarity what will be the way forward or the clear position, but the position that we had with us at least throughout the meeting or what we have sensed, it was the same position as the last paper stated. And basically, I think this would be their starting point until they come up with a further position.
Regarding your question about Al Jazeera, the journalists, first of all, Al Jazeera is an independent media institution that run out of Doha, and we are very proud of it as an institution that has - it's gained respect around the world. Its coverage for different conflict zone been commended, and I think this is not only covering the conflicts in the Middle East. Even we see their coverage, whether it's on the war in Ukraine or other areas in the world, and we have never seen the journalists being treated the way that's been treated in Gaza, unfortunately.
Second, that we expect that Al Jazeera, they are running at the highest international standards, and they are going to - if there are any premises to these accusations, that they are going to take care of the measures that's needed for their journalists. But also we need to know that we learned throughout this war that we cannot take those accusations of Israel for face value, because we've been subject to that. And one of the mission of Qatar reconstruction committee in Gaza was bombed by the IDF, claiming that there are Hamas tunnels under it. And these holes that they have showed to the media, apparently confirmed by the Israeli officials, those are water wells that have been there for decades. So I would look further on that accusations before taking it like this for granted.
And finally, I just echo what the Secretary has mentioned about the protection of the press in different conflict zone. It's necessary, it's mandatory on - under international law, and I think that there is no - any justification for targeting the press - nor the civilians, of course, but the press especially in the war zones. Whatever the justification is, I think it's not acceptable.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) The fourth and last question from AP News.
QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister, for taking questions. My question is in - we've reported that there's an Egyptian proposal on the table that Qatar supports for a short pause in fighting in which Hamas would release a handful of hostages and humanitarian aid deliveries would be increased. What is the status of that proposal after - Secretary Blinken, after your discussions with Israel and Arab partners this week, including the prime minister?
And then secondly, I wanted to ask this question to both the prime minister and the Secretary. How confident are you in Israel's assurances that any retaliation strike against Iran will not lead to further escalation in the region at this moment? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So I - I'm not going to go into any details of what's on the table or potentially on the table with regard to the hostage and ceasefire deal. As I said a moment ago, we're looking at different options. But as you heard the prime minister say, we haven't yet really determined whether Hamas is prepared to engage. But the next step is getting the negotiators together, and I anticipate we'll know - and we'll certainly learn - more in the coming days.
The bottom line is that, again, the quickest way to actually get hostages home, to actually get much more relief to the Palestinian people who so desperately need it, and to stop the conflict is through such an agreement. And at the same time, as I said, we also have to be working on - as we are - the plans for what would follow. But we'll know more, I think, in the coming days, but the - again, the fundamental question is: Is Hamas serious? My hope is that - again, in our judgement, Mr. Sinwar was the biggest obstacle to actually concluding an agreement. My hope is that now their minds will be concentrated, and we can get there and make progress.
As I said also a moment ago, we strongly support Israel's right to defend itself. We've seen two unprecedented attacks - direct attacks - by Iran on Israel with hundreds of missiles, including ballistic missiles, drones, other munitions. And thanks to the work we and a number of other countries did, Israel was able to defend itself, but these were extraordinarily dangerous, particularly with the potential for leading to a major escalation and, of course, in the first instance, a loss of life.
So we've been working with Israel to look at what can be done to effectively deter any further Iranian attacks, and that's vitally important to making sure that we have peace and stability in the region. But equally, we want to make sure that any response is done in a way that does not contribute to or spark an endless cycle of escalation. That's not in anyone's interest. So that's what - that's what we're working on.
And again, I hope Iran is getting the message very clearly from - not just from us but from other countries, directly or indirectly - that any further attacks it engages are toward Israel really risk fundamentally its interests. And what we need to see is a de-escalation of this, and that in turn, I think, can also contribute to all of the efforts we're making in other parts of the region, including with regards to Lebanon and including, of course, with regard to Gaza. So we're focused on this very intently, and let me leave it at that.
PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: Just if you allow me to comment on the first part of your question, just to be - make sure that things are clear, we are closely coordinated with Egypt on any kind of initiatives that will emerge on the table. Today, there are an ongoing discussion between Egypt and Hamas that we hope that these discussions will yield to something positively. And the discussion that will come afterwards, it will be a follow-up for that. So we are hoping to achieve something, as we are all serving the same goal.
Regarding the potential escalation or what's happening right now in the region, Qatar policy remains the same that we want to avoid any escalation from getting further. We are trying to talk all - to all the parties, and that's what's been doing for the last year now in order to contain the situation and to avoid any escalation from erupting into a regional war, which all of us, I think, we want to avoid. Our objective is to stop the war in Gaza, stop the war in Lebanon, and to reach a comprehensive ceasefire in the region. I believe the region been through a lot, especially in the last year. And it's enough - it's the time now for us to be more focused on bringing peace to our people in that region, and to focus on their prosperity and development, rather than just speaking about conflict and seeing just rounds of an endless escalation.
Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) That's the very end of our press conference. We thank Their Excellencies the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Secretary of State. May the peace and blessings of God be upon you.
