Same reasons, different outcomes: Qatar’s policy on Israel up to 1996

Abstract

In the period between 1948 and 1996, two main factors consistently shaped Qatar’s attitude toward Israel: first, the support of Qatari society in general, and specifically its leadership’s support for the Palestinians. A second factor was the desire to align Qatari foreign policy with that of other Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. These two factors led to a policy that rejected diplomatic relations with Israel until the late 1980s. With respect to the first factor, Israel’s actions were perceived as violating the rights of Palestinians in the region. With respect to the second factor, because the Qatari regime strongly supported the Arab states that waged wars against Israel. Doha also adopted the positions of the Gulf States and other Arab states that considered Israel an enemy. These same considerations, however, led to a change in the Qatari attitude toward Israel in the late 1980s. The Qatari leadership changed its attitude toward the Palestinians and consequently its attitude toward Israel in response to two landmarks events, the Gulf War and the Oslo Accords. Qatar’s change in attitude was also in line with Qatar’s new foreign policy strategy, which was designed to differentiate itself from the practices of the Gulf States.