Palestinian President Abbas holds talks with Qatar's foreign minister over Trump Jerusalem decision

The Palestinian leader is visiting allies in Qatar to seek support over Jerusalem.

2 min read

17 December, 2017

Qatar has been a long time supporter of Palestine [Getty]

The President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas was in Qatar on Saturday to hold discussions with the country's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, on the implications of US President Donald Trump's official recognition on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The official Palestinian News agency, Wafa, said that "the meeting revolved around Trump's decision on Jerusalem and the dangers posed to the holy city."

The meeting was attended by the Palestinian Chairman of the Civil Affairs Authority, Minister Hussain al-Sheikh, the Head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, General Majd Faraj, the Director General for the Directorate for Borders and Crossings, Nazmi Muhanna, and the Palestinian Ambassador to Qatar, Munir Ghannam.

Qatar is known for its pro-Palestinian stance, having given hundreds of millions of dollars to humanitarian projects in Gaza as well as openly supporting militant group Hamas.

In 2012, Qatar's then-emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani visited Gaza while it was under siege, being the first head of state to visit the territory since it came under Hamas control in 2006.

However Qatar's ties with Hamas are one of the alleged reasons for the Saudi-led blockade of the Gulf state. Saudi Arabia insist that Qatar must cut ties with "extremist" group before the blockade is lifted.

Last week, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, warned that Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would have "serious repercussions".