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UK paper apology to Qatar PM over secret Israel visit claims
by Dylan Bowman on Tuesday, 22 July 2008
WHOLLY UNTRUE: Ashraq Al-Awsat has apologised to Sheikh Hamad for a series of articles printed in August 2006 and March 2007. (Getty Images)
UK-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat has apologised to Qatar’s prime minister for printing a series of “wholly untrue” articles about secret visits he allegedly made to Israel.
The Saudi-owned paper made the apology by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani on Monday at a high court hearing in London, admitting it should not have run the three articles published in August 2006 and March 2007.
Asharq Al-Awsat also published a statement on its website in which it apologised “for any embarrassment caused by our articles”.
“We accept that Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim did not hold secret discussions with the Israeli government en route to the Beirut conference as previously reported and that his denial of his visit to Israel was genuine,” the statement said.
The first two articles were published toward the end of the 33-day military conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
In the articles Asharq Al-Awsat claimed Sheikh Hamad, also Qatar’s foreign minister, had stopped off in Israel in August 2006 on his way to an Arab summit in Beirut.
During the stopover Sheikh Hamad was alleged to have told Israel’s cabinet that public statements threatening to break off ties with the Jewish state were just a smokescreen and “were not to be believed”.
The second article, printed a week later, adds that Sheikh Hamad’s denial of the claims was a “deplorable lie”.
The third piece again repeats the allegations and adds that the Qatari prime minter had briefed Israel on the Arab position.
Asharq Al-Awsat said on its website that the articles “were based upon information provided by sources of Asharq Al Awsat, speaking off the record, which at the time we believed to be true”.
