WASHINGTON
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Wednesday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington amid continued efforts to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
According to the State Department readout, the meeting launched the seventh US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue and focused on deepening cooperation on shared economic and security goals.
“The Secretary and the Prime Minister reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Qatar,” the statement said.
The readout, however, made no reference to Gaza or related ceasefire talks.
“The Secretary expressed appreciation for Qatar’s role in supporting American objectives in the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere, and reiterated both countries’ desire for close collaboration on shared goals,” the statement said.
The meeting came two months after a ceasefire agreement took effect between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The first phase included a halt to hostilities, partial Israeli withdrawal, hostage exchanges, and entry of humanitarian aid. Advancing to a second phase, as envisioned in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, would require deployment of an international stabilization force (ISF), Hamas disarmament and full Israeli withdrawal as well as formation of a technocratic Palestinian authority.
Speaking to Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel after meetings in Washington with Rubio and members of US Congress, Al Thani said Qatar raised concerns over repeated ceasefire violations in Gaza, warning that such breaches place mediators in an “embarrassing position.”
“We do not want a stabilization force in Gaza that serves to protect one party at the expense of another,” he said.
In Washington, the Qatari prime minister also met with several US lawmakers, including Senators Steve Daines, Roger Wayne Marshall, Markwayne Mullin, Jacky Rosen, Brian Schatz, James Lankford and Representatives Ronny Jackson, Jimmy Panetta, and Josh Gottheimer.