Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that the lack of a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders is the main obstacle to Israeli relations with Qatar.

He said that Qatar does not have a war with Israel, but that Israel has an occupation over the Palestinians, at an event in Singapore on Friday hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He also talked about Qatar’s global role and answered questions about Saudi Arabia and its renewed diplomatic ties with Iran, as well as the possibility of a normalization deal between Riyadh and Jerusalem.

Al Thani said that he welcomed the resumption of Saudi-Iranian relations, which was facilitated by China, and that he had long supported it to stabilize the region.

He said that regarding the normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the integration of Israel in the region in general, he said that nothing much could change unless the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is solved.

Al Thani said that any deal with the Israelis does not mean peace. He said that only peace between [Israel] and the Palestinians can represent peace.

He said that the problem between the region and Israel is about the Palestinian issue. He said that all Arab states follow the Arab Peace Initiative, which was started by Saudi Arabia.

The Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 offered to have normal ties with Israel if it withdrew to the pre-1967 borders to let a Palestinian state be created on that land.

Four Arab countries agreed to have normal ties with Israel even though there is still a conflict with the Palestinians. They did this under the Abraham Accords, which were made by the US. The four countries were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

Qatar does not have relations with Israel. Al Thani said that Qatar was keeping to the Arab Peace Initiative.

He said that this was the best way to make peace.