DUBAI: Saudi Arabia and its allies Saturday welcomed an accusation by President Donald Trump that Qatar was bankrolling extremism but ignored a separate US call for them to ease their economic blockade.
Trump’s comments came as Washington joins intensifying international efforts to heal the worsening rift between the key Western Gulf allies, which has escalated into the region’s worst diplomatic crisis in years.
Qatar denies the allegations and has sent its top diplomat on a tour of European capitals in a bid to drum up support.
But its neighbors seized on Trump’s remarks as a vindication of their position and of the crippling sanctions they imposed on Monday.
The UAE welcomed “President Trump’s leadership in challenging Qatar’s troubling support for extremism.”
Yousef Al-Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, told the official WAM news agency: “The next step is for Qatar to acknowledge these concerns and commit to reexamine its regional policies. This will provide the necessary basis for any discussions.”
Saudi Arabia said an immediate change of policy by Qatar was essential.
“Fighting terrorism and extremism is no longer a choice, rather... a commitment requiring decisive and swift action to cut off all funding sources for terrorism regardless of its financier,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited an official source as saying.
Bahrain “stressed the necessity of Qatar’s commitment to correct its policies and to engage in a transparent manner in counter-terrorism efforts,” its official BNA news agency said.
Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s justice minister, has threatened legal action against any political organization found communicating or expressing support for the people named in a new Qatar-linked blacklist.
The ministry would hold accountable “all those who employ religion to support organized ties or allegiances to a state” that targets the stability of other states, the minister said in a statement carried by state news agency BNA.
The three governments made no comment on separate remarks by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging them to ease their land and sea blockade of Qatar, which he said was hindering the US-led campaign against Daesh and having humanitarian consequences for ordinary people.
Qatar’s neighbors have given its citizens 14 days to leave, banned Qatari flights from their airspace and closed its only land border.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani was in Moscow on Saturday after talks in Germany on Friday.
Qatar ally Turkey meanwhile hosted the Bahraini foreign minister for talks on the crisis.
![]()
Saudi Arabia and allies hail Trump warning to Qatar
Saudi Arabia and allies hail Trump warning to Qatar
Israel committed atrocity crimes in Gaza, UN report says
- It found that Israel’s actions had imposed “conditions of life increasingly incompatible with Palestinians’ continued existence as a group in Gaza“
GENEVA: Israeli forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza and carried out atrocity crimes, a UN report published on Thursday said.
Intensified Israeli attacks and the forcible transfer of Palestinians appeared aimed at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza “raising concerns over ethnic cleansing,” the report by the UN human rights office said.
The holding and mistreatment of hostages by the Hamas Islamist militant group may amount to war crimes, it said.
Israel’s permanent mission in Geneva dismissed the report’s findings about Israel’s actions, and said in a statement that the UN human rights office had lost its credibility.
“Office of the High Commissioner is engaged in a vicious campaign of demonization and disinformation against the State of Israel,” it said.
Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ETHNIC CLEANSING CONCERNS
The 17-page report investigated events in Gaza from November 2024 to October 31, 2025.
It found that Israel’s actions had imposed “conditions of life increasingly incompatible with Palestinians’ continued existence as a group in Gaza,” the report said.
Famine found in some parts of Gaza last August by a global hunger monitor and malnutrition resulted directly from Israel’s actions, the report said.
Militarised distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) backed by Israel and the United States “failed utterly” to deliver humanitarian aid at the scale required, violating Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law, it said.
Israeli practices in Gaza and the occupied West Bank indicated an accelerating effort to consolidate the annexation of large parts of occupied Palestinian territory, with unlawful use of force by Israeli security forces, the report said.
“During the reporting period, intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighborhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza,” it said.
“This, together with forcible transfers, which appear to aim at a permanent displacement, raise concerns over ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Intensified Israeli attacks and the forcible transfer of Palestinians appeared aimed at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza “raising concerns over ethnic cleansing,” the report by the UN human rights office said.
The holding and mistreatment of hostages by the Hamas Islamist militant group may amount to war crimes, it said.
Israel’s permanent mission in Geneva dismissed the report’s findings about Israel’s actions, and said in a statement that the UN human rights office had lost its credibility.
“Office of the High Commissioner is engaged in a vicious campaign of demonization and disinformation against the State of Israel,” it said.
Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ETHNIC CLEANSING CONCERNS
The 17-page report investigated events in Gaza from November 2024 to October 31, 2025.
It found that Israel’s actions had imposed “conditions of life increasingly incompatible with Palestinians’ continued existence as a group in Gaza,” the report said.
Famine found in some parts of Gaza last August by a global hunger monitor and malnutrition resulted directly from Israel’s actions, the report said.
Militarised distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) backed by Israel and the United States “failed utterly” to deliver humanitarian aid at the scale required, violating Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law, it said.
Israeli practices in Gaza and the occupied West Bank indicated an accelerating effort to consolidate the annexation of large parts of occupied Palestinian territory, with unlawful use of force by Israeli security forces, the report said.
“During the reporting period, intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighborhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza,” it said.
“This, together with forcible transfers, which appear to aim at a permanent displacement, raise concerns over ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.