IRAN LASHES OUT AT QATAR FOR REOPENING OF ISRAEL'S TRADE MISSION
TEHRAN 18 May (IPS The Islamic Republic lashed out Thursday at neighbouring Qatar for showing itself "unfaithful to fellow Muslims" by allowing the reopening of Israel’s Diplomatic Mission in the Emirate and accused its diplomacy to having "betrayed" the Muslim world.
Two English-language dailies, one controlled by the conservatives and the other pro-government, warned Qatar "not to go against the stream of support for the sacred cause of Palestine".
"The history of the Arab-Israeli conflict and, indeed, the recent history of the oppressed Palestinian nation, testifies that the Israelis have always taken undue advantage of cracks in Muslim unity", "Iran News" observed, pointing out that this time "the crack in unity" comes in the form of a "Trade Office of the Zionist entity functioning in a Muslim state".
"It is very unfortunate, wrote "Tehran Times", that certain Arab states disregard the massacre of innocent Palestinians by Zionist forces and prefer to maintain ties with the illegal Zionist entity".
Not only Iran does not recognise Israel, but also calls for the total destruction of the Jewish States and it’s replacing by a Palestinian one, populated with the original inhabitants, being Muslim Christians and Jews.
Reminding that the Qatari foreign ministry had, at the handing over ceremony for the chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), announced that the Emirate would close down the "Zionist" diplomatic mission in Doha, the paper went on saying therefore Qatar’s recent action was "contrary" to its promises and engagements.
"Iran News", that is published by the official news agency IRNA and is supporting the government of Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami repeated exactly the same charges and severely criticised the Persian Gulf Emirate on the same subject, saying "it came as no surprise that the Zionists are getting emboldened in committing atrocities against the innocent Palestinian people".
Observing that the two commentaries were very similar, Iranian analysts said they could have originated from the Iranian Foreign Ministry in order to avoid a diplomatic row with Qatar, the current President of the OIC.
So far, there was no official reaction from neither side.
The articles berated Qatar and those Arab countries for leading a campaign to "sidetrack" Palestinian uprising and trying to bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table with the Zionists.
Tehran Times accused the Zionist entity of "masterminding" the current plan and warned that the "pro-Zionist US Administration" is making efforts to pull the Zionists out of political isolation and giving them the manoeuvring power to undo the fruits of the Intifada or uprising.
The "Intifada is going to succeed whether they like it or not," warned the paper.
Expressing certitude that the Intifada is going to succeed "whether they like it or not", the conservatives-controlled newspaper advised Qatar and "those Arab rulers" who have no respect for the rights of the Palestinians, "not to act against the will of over one billion Muslims" who have pledged support for the Palestinian uprising.
"Therefore, the papers concluded, if at all Qatar and all those Arab countries, which support the Zionist regime, want to save their face, then they must avoid swimming against the stream of support for the sacred struggle of Palestinians". ENDS IRAN QATAR ISRAEL 18501