Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed bin Abderrahman Al Thani has arrived in Washington and will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of mediators' efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza before the start of Ramadan, scheduled for March 11. The head of Qatari diplomacy “leads the Qatari delegation for the sixth round of the Qatar-US strategic dialogue, which will take place tomorrow,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari announced on his X account today. The spokesman added that Al Thani will meet Blinken and both will open this dialogue, which will include twelve sessions in various areas of bilateral cooperation. The Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue was launched in 2018 to jointly coordinate regional and global issues and strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of health, humanitarian assistance, international development, human rights, regional cooperation, climate change and trade, among others. This visit comes at a crucial time for both countries as mediators in the Gaza conflict, as negotiations are underway in Cairo but not attended by Israel, which has not sent anyone to the Egyptian capital. The aim is to reach a ceasefire before the start of the holy month for Muslims. Yesterday, US Vice President Kamala Harris called for the “immediate implementation” of the temporary six-week ceasefire in Gaza negotiated between Israel and Palestine and accused Benjamin Netanyahu's government of not doing enough to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. Harris will meet at the White House today with Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz, to whom she will reiterate the U.S. position on the need for a temporary ceasefire to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza and free the hostages. An American source reported over the weekend that Israel had “virtually” accepted the proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, while Hamas, as a liberal, had not yet established a “defined category of vulnerable hostages.” The six-week ceasefire would allow for the exchange of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, as well as an increase in humanitarian aid.
