Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
established unofficial trade relations with the
State of Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in 1996, the first amongst all nations of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
after
Oman reportedly did, concurrently with
Israel–Jordan peace treaty. Until 2009,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
maintained trade relations, but due to
Operation Cast Lead, Qatar broke the trade with Israel.
Diplomatic relations
Following the
2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, Qatar hosted an emergency conference of Arab states and Iran to discuss the conflict. The
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
administration in Gaza, as opposed to the
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
-controlled
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, in the West Bank, represented the Palestinians, undermining support for Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...
.
Khalid Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, President
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, and
President Ahmadinejad of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
urged all Arab states to cut any remaining ties to Israel.
In 2013, Qatar reportedly assisted in an Israeli operation to bring a group of
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...
to Israel. The claim was made by a
Lebanese Arabic newspaper. According to the source, 60 Jews fleeing Yemen were allowed to transition from Doha on a flight to Israel.
On 30 April 2013, Qatari Prime Minister
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said that final status agreements with the Palestinians could involve land swaps instead of sticking to the 1967 borders. This was received positively in Israel with Justice Minister
Tzipi Livni
Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...
saying: "This news is very positive. In the tumultuous world around ... it could allow the Palestinians to enter the room and make the needed compromises and it sends a message to the Israeli public that this is not just about us and the Palestinians", adding that "peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis is ... a strategic choice for the Arab states".
Israeli leaders harshly criticized Qatar's diplomatic and financial support of Hamas in the wake of
Operation Protective Edge, accusing the Qataris of being major sponsors of terrorism. Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman called for the banishment of Qatar-based
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
journalists from Israel.
On 9 March 2015, Qatar's ambassador to Gaza reportedly sought direct approval from Israel to import construction material into the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
after Egypt had refused to allow the Qatari delegation through the
Rafah border crossing. The Palestinian Authority and Fatah lashed out at Qatar, condemning their efforts to engage in direct communication with Israel.
Jihad Harb, a political analyst and author, claimed that Qatar "might assume the role of mediator between Gaza and Israel, thus usurping the roles of the PA and Egypt."
In June 2015, the Qatari government facilitated discussions between Israel and Hamas in Doha to discuss a possible five-year ceasefire between the two parties.
In June 2017, Israel backed the
Saudi Saudi may refer to:
* Saudi Arabia
* Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia
* Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia
* House of Saud
The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is c ...
-led bloc of Arab states opposed to Qatar in the
2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis
The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic incident in the Middle East that began on 5 June 2017 when Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia#Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Qatar–United Arab Emirates relations, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain–Qatar relat ...
, and announced the expulsion of Qatari state-funded broadcaster
Al Jazeera Media Network from Israel. Emirati author
Salem Al Ketbi claimed, without due substantiation, that towards the end of the 20th century, Qatar had boycotted some countries that resorted to peace and normalisation of relations with Israel.
During the
2023 Israel–Hamas war
}
The ongoing armed conflict between Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups and Israel military forces began on 7 October 2023, 50 years after the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Hamas's coordinated surprise offensive, codenamed "Al-Aqsa Fl ...
, Qatar mediated between
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
and Israel. They reached an
extended ceasefire and the exchange of more than 100 Israeli hostages for 240
Palestinian prisoners
Palestinian prisoners of Israel (or as used by the Israel Prison Service: Security prisoners) refers in this article to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The future of Palestinian prisoners de ...
.
In April 2024, Essa Al-Nassr, a brigadier general at the Emiri Guard and member of
Qatar's legislative assembly stated that "there will be no peace nor negotiations with the Zionist entity for one reason: because their mentality does not recognize negotiations, but rather only… breaking promises and lying… They only recognize one thing, which is killings; since they are killers of prophets.” He has also referred to the
October 7 attacks as a “prelude to the annihilation of the corruption of the ‘second Zionist entity’ upon earth".
Diplomatic visits
Despite Qatar's support of
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, Israeli leaders have maintained direct contact with the emirate. In January 2007, in his last months as vice premier, former President
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
paid a high-profile visit to the capital city of
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
. Peres also visited Qatar in 1996, when he launched the new Israeli trade bureau there.
In January 2008, Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
met with former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, at the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
. The existence of the surreptitious talks has so far been kept secretive by Israel.
Foreign Affairs Minister
Tzipi Livni
Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...
also met with the Qatari Emir at a UN conference in 2008. In April 2008, she visited Qatar where she attended a conference and met the Emir, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Oil and Gas. In December 2023, it was announced that
Qatar and Israel leaders would be meeting each other in Norway later in the year.
Cultural relations
The
Qatar National Olympic Committee and the State of Israel co-funded the
Doha Stadium in the
Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
city of
Sakhnin
Sakhnin ( ar, سخنين; he, סַחְ'נִין or ''Sikhnin'') is an Arab city in Israel's Northern District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. In its population was , mostly Muslim ...
located in the
Galilee
Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...
region of Israel. The stadium was named after the Qatari city of Doha. The decision by the Qataris to build the stadium in Israel came after a meeting between the Arab Knesset member
Ahmad Tibi
Ahmad Tibi ( ar, أحمد الطيبي, , he, אַחְמָד טִיבִּי, , sometimes spelled Ahmed Tibi; born 19 December 1958) is a Palestinian-Israeli politician. The leader of the Ta'al party, he has served as a member of the Knesset si ...
and Secretary-General of the Qatar National Olympic Committee Sheikh Saud Abdulrahman Al Thani after Tibi expressed his concern on the conditions for sport in Sakhnin among the Arab society inside Israel. The involvement of Qatar was to show that relations between the two nations are peaceful and with a similar interest.
In February 2020, Israeli doctor Vered Windman attended the
ISPCAN event in Doha, Qatar.
When Qatar was awarded the right to host the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
, they stated that Israel would be allowed to compete in the tournament should they qualify.
Economic relations
Qatar established unofficial trade relations with Israel in 1996, the second state bordering the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
to do so after Oman. In 2000, Israel's trade office in Qatar was closed down by authorities.
Qatar permanently severed trade relations with Israel in 2009 following
Operation Cast Lead. In 2010, Qatar twice offered to restore trade relations with Israel and allow the reinstatement of the Israeli mission in Doha, on the condition that Israel allow Qatar to send building materials and money to Gaza to help rehabilitate infrastructure, and that Israel make a public statement expressing appreciation for Qatar's role and acknowledging its standing in the Middle East. Israel refused on the grounds that Qatari supplies could be used by Hamas to build bunkers and reinforced positions from which to fire rockets at Israeli cities and towns, and that Israel did not want to get involved in the competition between Qatar and Egypt over the Middle East mediation. However, Qatar did mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials.
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, Israeli exports to Qatar amounted to $509,000 in 2012, mainly machinery, computer equipment and medical instruments. Imports from Qatar amounted to $353,000 in 2013, mainly plastics.
In December 2018, Israel permitted a €13 million payment from Qatar to Gazan workers as part of a six monthly payment to help with humanitarian crisis in the Gaza region. There have been frequent talks between Israel and Qatar on matters relating to Gaza since 2014 via Qatar's envoy to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi who has been in regular contact with Israel.
In November 2021 Israel and Qatar signed an agreement allowing Qatar to trade in diamonds and Israeli merchants to enter Qatar and open offices.
Sporting events
In February 2008, tennis player
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er ( he, שחר פאר, ; born ) is an Israeli retired tennis player.
Pe'er won five singles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as four singles and three doubles titles on the ITF circuit in her career. She reached ...
became the first Israeli to compete in a WTA Tour event in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
when she reached the third round of the
Qatar Total Open
The Qatar Ladies Open, currently sponsored by TotalEnergies and called the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, is a women's tennis tournament held in Doha, Qatar. Held since 2001, this WTA Tour event was a Tier I-tournament in 2008, and was played on outdoo ...
in Doha. Later on, she competed again in Qatar in 2012.
In 2009, Qatar said that it would welcome Israel footballers if it were to win the bid for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
.
In 2014, Israeli swimmers took part in the
2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
The 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) were held in Doha, Qatar on 3–7 December 2014. The Hamad Aquatic Centre in the Aspire Zone hosted the event.
Host selection
On 14 December 2010, FINA announced that Catania, Italy would host the ...
in Doha. In 2016, Israeli beach volleyball duo, Sean Faiga and Ariel Hilman, participated in the FIVB Qatar Open in Doha.
In January 2018, Israeli tennis player
Dudi Sela competed at the
2018 Qatar ExxonMobil Open. In February, Israeli youth handball team played at the 2018 Handball World School Championship in Qatar. In October, Israeli gymnasts competed in the
2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships was the 48th edition of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The competition was held from October 25 – November 3, 2018, at the Aspire Academy Dome in Doha, Qatar.
It was the first tim ...
, which was held for the first time in Doha, Qatar and the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. In November, Israeli equestrian
Danielle Goldstein
Danielle "Dani" Goldstein-Waldman (born February 6, 1985) is an American-Israeli show jumper. In July 2019 Goldstein, as part of Israel's four-rider squad, qualified to represent Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Early and personal li ...
participated in the 2018
Global Champions Tour
The Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) is an annual pre-eminent individual show jumping series that comprises up to 15 rounds of competition hosted around the world. It brings together the top 30 riders in the FEI Jumping World Rankings.
It was ...
in Doha, Qatar.
In March 2019, the Israeli national anthem was played in Qatar after Israeli gymnast
Alexander Shatilov won the gold medal for the floor exercise during the
2019 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series
The 2019 FIG World Cup circuit in Artistic Gymnastics is a series of competitions officially organized and promoted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 2019. All four of the Apparatus World Cup series competitions (Melbourne, Bak ...
. In Autumn 2019, Israeli athletes contended at the
2019 World Athletics Championships
The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...
in Doha, Qatar.
In January 2021, Israelis competed at the
2021 Judo World Masters
The 2021 Judo World Masters was held in Doha, Qatar, from 11 to 13 January 2021.
Medal summary Medal table
Source
Men's events
Source
Women's events
Source
Prize money
The sums written are per medalist, and with the two additional best ...
in Doha. In June 2021, Israeli
Artem Dolgopyat won a gold medal at the
2021 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series
The 2021 FIG World Cup circuit in Artistic Gymnastics is a series of competitions officially organized and promoted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 2021. A number of events were originally scheduled to take place in 2020 and s ...
, hosted in Doha.
In 2022, Israel and Qatar announced they would be starting direct flights between Tel Aviv and Doha for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
.
However the two countries have not renewed official relations.
See also
*
History of the Jews in Qatar
The History of Jews in Qatar is relatively limited.
Forum on US-Islamic relations
As an indication of the opening up of Qatari society to western influence and giving appropriate attention to the Jewish population, the Jewish Telegraphic Agenc ...
References
External links
* Yaari, Micha
Israel and Qatar: relations nurtured by the Palestinian issue Ramat Gan,
Mitvim, March 2020. At mitvim.org.il/en/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel-Qatar relations
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
Bilateral relations of Qatar