Saudi Ambassador to Algeria: Hamas Is a Terror Organization; No Saudi Relations with "Zionist Entity"

Saudi Ambassador to Algeria Dr. Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh said that Hamas is a terrorist organization. In an interview dedicated almost entirely to the Qatar crisis, Ambassador Al-Saleh said that the only available option is for Qatar to accept all of demands made by Saudi Arabia and its allies, and to stop hosting and funding terror organizations. The ambassador denied rumors of normalization of relations between his country and Israel, saying that Saudi Arabia would have no diplomatic or economic relations with the "Zionist entity." The interview aired on the Algerian Ennahar TV on July 11.

Interviewer: Mr. Ambassador, does Saudi Arabia consider Hamas to be a terrorist movement?

Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh: Of course. It is categorized... Under these circumstances, of course. If it strives to cause problems, of course it is [terrorist].

Interviewer: What about the right to stage resistance, Mr. Ambassador?

Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh: The right to resistance is guaranteed to the PLO, not to people sitting in a five-star hotel in Qatar, and running plots from there.

[…]

Sadly, the leadership in Qatar still acts in full stupidity and impudence. It does not respect the agreements or what we call "brotherly ties." It supports extremist groups and terror attacks in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, in the UAE, and in Egypt.

[…]

We are talking about a change in [Qatari] policies, so that they will conform to the fight against terror. They must stop funding [terrorism], and commit to expelling the terrorist groups that are hosted in Qatar - whether from Libya, from Egypt, from Pakistan, or anywhere else. I believe that this is very important.

[…]

Interviewer: What bothers you about the Al-Jazeera network?

Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh: The most simple answer would be to ask you

how come Al-Jazeera TV is not present in Algeria? How come there are no Al-Jazeera offices or reporters in Algeria? You tell me. Al-Jazeera TV spreads strife.

[…]

Interviewer: Mr. Ambassador, what are the available options to dealing with Qatar?

Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh: Qatar must accept all our demands.

Interviewer: Or else?

Sami Abdullah Al-Saleh: Or else our countries will opt for escalating sanctions.

[…]

Saudi Arabia cannot possibly have any diplomatic or economic relations with the Zionist entity. This issue is settled. It's not up for discussion.

[…]