Alwaght- A statement posted on Qatar's news agency has thrown into disarray the façade of unity that was created at the recent Riyadh summit attended by US president Donald Trump.
Regardless of whether the statements attributed to Qatar Emir were true or published on the website of the Qatari News Agency (QNA) via hackers, the political scene which resulted from the media war on Wednesday confirms that the unanimity image of Riyadh summit was falsely promoted by Al Saud regime.
A QNA report criticized Saudi Arabia for fueling tensions with Iran prompting a sharp response from Persian Gulf nations. Doha has blamed unidentified hackers for breaking into the agency’s website and publishing fake news.
The report on the website of Qatar News Agency cited Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar’s emir, as criticizing the latest increase in tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in a speech he gave to graduating military cadets.
"Qatar Has established strong ties with Iran and the United States, as Iran is an Islamic and regional power that cannot be ignored. It is not wise to collaborate against Iran because it is a big power and guarantor of peace in region."
The report published on Wednesday also said Sheikh Tamim spoke favorably about the Lebanese organization Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas, while criticizing US President Donald Trump and saying he may not serve a full term.
While Qatari officials, likely under pressure from other Arab states, deny these remarks alleging their state-run news agency were hacked by an ‘unknown entity’, Sky News Arabia reported that the country's official TV channel has also subtitled the Qatari kings remarks.
Qatari officials claimed hackers took over the news agency's Twitter feed and posted alleged quotes from Qatar's foreign minister accusing Arab nations of fomenting a plot against his country. A series of tweets said Qatar had ordered its ambassadors to withdraw from Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates over the plot. The tweets were later deleted.
Saudi Arabia, UAE acted in haste
Other Persian Gulf nations reported the statements as authentic and rebuked Qatar for them. The authorities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also briefly blocked the website and cable broadcasting from Al Jazeera, the Qatar-sponsored global news channel.
“Qatar splits the rank, sides with the enemies of the nation,” Saudi Arabia's Okaz daily wrote.
Qatar says it has begun an inquiry into a security breach by hackers who posted fake remarks on its national news agency's platforms by its ruler.
The incident comes just days after President Donald Trump met Persian Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The incident revived suspicions that exploded into the open three years when several Persian Gulf kingdoms pulled their ambassadors from Qatar over similar concerns about its politics.
Reviving old tensions
Persian Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia broke ties with Qatar over its backing of then-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood member. In March 2014, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar over the row. Eight months later, they returned their ambassadors after Qatar forced some Brotherhood members to leave the country and quieted others.
Analysts believe the swift Saudi-Emirati response even before consulting Doha to get official confirmation, implies that there is deep mistrust among the Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms and the Riyadh Summit was just a pretense of unity.
