Qatar crisis: latest developments

Led by Saudi Arabia, several states in the Middle East and Africa have severed ties with Qatar since June 5, accusing the gas-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

Al Jazeera network has been at the centre of the Qatar row with many Gulf neighbours, pressuring it to shut down because of its coverage for 20 years. (File Photo)
TRT World and Agencies

Al Jazeera network has been at the centre of the Qatar row with many Gulf neighbours, pressuring it to shut down because of its coverage for 20 years. (File Photo)

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several other Sunni-majority countries have severed relations with Qatar since June 5, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism based on its ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Taliban.

Another point of departure is Qatar's ties with Iran, with whom it shares one of the world's biggest gas fields.

Qatar has denied the accusations and called the collective decision "unjustified." Kuwait, Turkey and the US have all urged a political solution as the bloc isolates Qatar using various ad hoc sanctions, including shutting down their airspace to Qataris and blocking import routes.

The dispute began in May when Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani was reported to have made statements on the state news agency supporting Iran. Doha said the statements were fabricated and disseminated via a hack.

Here are the latest developments in the crisis:

July 27, Thursday

Netanyahu threatens to shut Al Jazeera Jerusalem office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would work to close the Jerusalem offices of Qatar-based Al Jazeera, accusing the television news network of inciting recent violence in the city.

Jerusalem is experiencing one of its most tense periods in years as Palestinians protest heightened Israeli security measures near the Temple Mount-Noble Sanctuary compound, one of the city's holiest sites, and the events have been widely reported, including by Al Jazeera.

"The Al-Jazeera network continues to stir violence around the Temple Mount," Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page in Hebrew.

For more on earlier developments click here.

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