We are 20 months into one of the more consequential political and financial crises in the Middle East. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar over its ties with Iran and alleged support for terrorist groups. Some of these nations – notably Saudi Arabia – then ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territory and barred their own citizens from travelling to or living in Qatar. Along with this, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE have closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft, forcing many flights to use Iranian airspace.
Bringing Qatar back from the cold
Alpesh Patel says the West needs to end the rift between Saudi Arabia and its neighbour
The World Today
Published 7 February 2019
Updated 9 November 2020 — 2 minute READ
Image — A Qatar Airways plane on the tarmac as Saudi falcon Hawk Mk 65 aircrafts perform during the Kuwait aviation show in January 2018
