The UAE ambassador to the United States has written an editorial on the Wall Street Journal, outlining the UAE’s stance on Qatar and its decision to sever diplomatic ties. 

Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba was featured on the publication on June 12, and identified contradictions in Qatar’s policy, stating: “Qatar invests billions of dollars in the U.S. and Europe and then recycles the profits to support Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and groups linked to al Qaeda.”

He added: “Qatar can no longer have it both ways. It must now decide whether it is “all in”—or not—in the fight against extremism and aggression.”

Otaiba offered a stark warning to Qatar, via the article

“What must Qatar do? It should first acknowledge what the world already knows: Doha has become a financial, media and ideological hub for extremism. Then it must take decisive action to deal once and for all with its extremist problem—to shut down this funding, stop interfering in its neighbors’ internal affairs, and end its media incitement and radicalization.

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“With terrorists rampaging through the streets of European cities and hatching plots against targets in the U.S., there can be no equivocation, no hedging and no delay in taking on the radical menace. Qatar cannot own stakes in the Empire State Building and the London Shard and use the profits to write checks to affiliates of al Qaeda. It cannot plaster its name on soccer jerseys while its media networks burnish the extremist brand. It cannot be owners of Harrods and Tiffany & Co. while providing safe haven to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.”

UAE Ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba

He emphasised that the decision was not an impulsive one by the UAE and Saudi

“When the United Arab Emirates and like-minded countries took diplomatic and economic measures against Qatar last week, it was not done lightly or in haste.

“Rather it was prompted by the accumulation of years of bewildering Qatari behavior that poses a direct threat to the US, UAE and Qatar itself. If Qatar sows the wind, it will reap the whirlwind.”

You can read his full article here.