Several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing the latter of supporting ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other terrorists and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.
Following the declaration of Gulf and Arab states to boycott Qatar, which broke out two weeks ago, and the decision to take measures against the emirate, the Palestinians chose to be neutral to avoid more losses of aligning to one side against the other.
Boeing is in the midst of contract negotiations with Qatar after signing a letter of authorisation last week, a potential contract that could stretch F-15 production for Qatar out to 2022, Boeing's executive vice-president said this week. "They have to lift the blockade to start negotiations", he told reporters. Sheikh Mohammed revealed aviation support has come from Iran after Saudi Arabia closed its airspace to Qatari airlines.
The Gulf diplomatic dispute has opened a rift between some of the main USA allies in the Middle East, after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut off tiny-but-wealthy Qatar from trade, travel and diplomacy two weeks ago.
"This isolation can take years", Gargash said.
However, Jaida said countries imposing the sanctions had restricted some of their companies from doing business in Qatar, which was affecting about US$2 billion of these companies' contracts in areas such as construction, professional services and export of materials.
"They have built a sophisticated podium for jihadism and Islamic extremism". The escalation of tensions among the countries threatens regional stability, and produces additional obstacles in the efforts to resolve the ongoing crises in Syria, Yemen, and Libya.
"This state is weaponising jihadists and extremists, it is using this as a weapon of influence", he added. "We have Saudi and Bahraini banks in the QFC", he said.
Qatar has said the sanctions have also brought personal hardship for its citizens who live in neighboring countries or have relatives there.
Asked if the ultimate aim of the Gulf countries was to enforce regime change, the foreign minister replied: "No one is in a position of imposing regime change in this country". The Al-Udeid base, the largest U.S. base in the region, is a key launching pad for military strikes on the Islamic State jihadist group. "Why they didn't submit their demands yet? We intend to leverage and take full advantage of this opportunity", Jaida said. "But what we have seen until now, there is no solid ground for these demands, that's why they didn't submit their demands yet".
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But so far, Sekulow's short tenure as Trump's personal defender on TV hasn't been so smooth. It's too early to say for sure what legal strategy his lawyers will eventually settle on.
The latest political developments in the Gulf are a cause of concern for the entire Muslim world, and the worldwide community as a whole.
They also explained that their countries were very keen the blockade would not inflict harm on the brotherly Qataris as a effect of the wrong practices of their government. Likewise, Qatar's support to the then regime of Mohammad Morsi of Egypt made sense because it was a legitimate and democratically-elected government which was overthrown in a military coup.
Relations between the two countries are at their worst in years.
He called measures imposed against Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and others "an act of aggression".
At the same time, government spokesman Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed Al-Thani deplored the effect the boycott was having on GCC nations.
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The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said a list of grievances for Qatar to address would be completed in the next days. Erdogan added that he had previously raised the possibility of a Turkish base in Saudi Arabia and said the Saudi king agreed to consider the offer.
On Sunday, an unspecified number of soldiers arrived at Tariq Bin Ziyad military base, where around 100 had already been deployed for joint military exercises.
Al Jazeera, which is blocked in the UAE, reportedly aired footage of a column of Turkish armoured vehicles moving through the streets.
Turkey is one of Qatar's strongest allies. Iran and Turkey are now providing Qatar's required food supplies.
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