BEIRUT, 5 September 2006 — A Qatar Airways flight arrived in Beirut from Doha yesterday, breaking an Israeli air-and-sea blockade of Lebanon. Qatar also announced yesterday that it would contribute up to 300 troops to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, becoming the first Arab country to do so.
Flight QR 422 arrived in the Lebanese capital shortly before 1230 GMT with 120 passengers on board. It left Beirut again at 1335 GMT and touched down in Doha at 1625 GMT. The airline plans to operate the flights daily, a company spokesman said earlier in Doha.
A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Mark Regev, said the flight would not have been possible without clearance by Israel. “The entrance into Lebanon of aircraft and ships necessitates coordination with Israel,” he said.
On Sunday, a Qatar Airways spokeswoman said the flight was aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade on Lebanon. “We have asked for authorization from the Lebanese authorities and they have given it. Therefore flight QR 422 is going to go to Beirut,” the spokeswoman said.
During a joint press conference with visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Doha, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad ibn Jassem ibn Jabr Al-Thani slammed the blockade and said there was no reason the flight could not proceed.
“No official blockade of Lebanon has been declared by the United Nations or the international community,” Sheikh Hamad said. “This is only a blockade by the Israelis, which is a violation of UN Resolution 1701.” He said the resumption of flights was necessary to help the Lebanese who had been affected by the conflict.
An Israeli diplomatic source said the Qatar Airways flight had in fact been cleared by the Jewish state. “This is a flight that was coordinated with Israel a week ago within a framework of the humanitarian corridor,” the source said on condition of anonymity. “We find it strange Qatar has made an issue out of this.”
During the press conference in Doha, Annan repeated his call for a lifting of the Israeli blockade. “The embargo is not sustainable,” he said. “It is a particularly destructive act because it’s at a time when Lebanon is trying to reconstruct. I think we will need to see the embargo lifted as soon as possible.”
Israel imposed the blockade on Lebanon at the beginning of its 34-day conflict with Hezbollah on July 12. The only two companies that have been authorized to operate commercial flights to Beirut, via Amman, are Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines and Royal Jordanian.
At the press conference, Sheikh Hamad also announced his country’s plans to deploy 200 to 300 troops in Lebanon. Annan said the United Nations hoped the expanded UN force would be a “manifestation of international solidarity” with Lebanon.
“Qatar has relations with Israel and as a result Israel has no objection to its participation in the force,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Regev said.
