Crisis-hit nation Qatar has accused its Gulf neighbours of breaking international law by hacking its websites and planting fake information that prompted the ongoing diplomatic situation in the region. A recent report suggested that US officials discovered that ministers from the United Arab Emirates held a meeting on May 23 to discuss plans to hack Qatar government news and social media sites and post provocative quotes from emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The quotes included borderline derogatory remarks by Sheikh Tamim about US President Donald Trump, support for Iran as an “Islamic power” and praise for Hamas. These quotes were shortly followed by a mass boycott from four Gulf states- the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain. Addressing the issue, the Qatar information office said, “The information published in the Washington Post... revealed the involvement of the United Arab Emirates and senior Emirati officials in the hacking of Qatar News Agency.” It added, “(The report) unequivocally proves that this hacking crime took place.”
UAE was quick to rubbish the allegations, saying the report was “purely wrong”. In the UK to deliver a lecture on the causes of the Gulf crisis, UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said, “The Washington Post story is not true. It is purely wrong. You will see in the next few days the story will die.” He denied claims that the hack could have possibly prompted the crisis. “This issue has been festering since 2014,” he said.
Gargash also hinted that the Gulf Cooperation Council may collapse. “The GCC is in crisis and I don't think it serves our purpose to say 'let's take Qatar out'. What we really do want is we either reach an agreement and Qatar's behaviour changes, or Qatar makes its own bed and they can move on and we can move with a new relationship. But we cannot have a member who is undermining us and supporting extremism. You cannot be part of a regional organisation dedicated to strengthening mutual security and furthering mutual interest, and at the same time undermine that security. You cannot be both our friend, and a friend of al-Qaida.”
Meanwhile, Qatar seems to be fairly coping with the boycott. Five weeks into the Gulf crisis, the richest country in the world per capita has maintained a respectful calm and just might have enough time to come up with a solution before it starts to sink. French energy giant, Total has confirmed that it would take up a contract to develop the Qatari al-Shaheen offshore oilfield with Qatar petroleum. The contract, set for 25 years, includes 300,000 barrels-per-day.
Qatar's Finance Minister Ali Shareef al-Emadi said, “This blockade will do very well for us in the medium to long term. We are a peninsula but now we are operating like an island.”
