Ex-Al Jazeera anchor reveals role to arise Arab world strife

CAIRO – 17 July 2017: Ex-Al Jazeera anchor Bassam el-Kadery said that the Qatari network used political events that occurred in the Arab world to arise strife and disputes, increasing gaps between different orientations.

“I was blamed by the network for asking the guests professional questions concerning Hamas and Iraqi explosions that killed many innocent people,” said Kadery in a telephone interview on Sada El-Balad channel.

He added that decision makers in the network are people close to the Qatari palace, like head of the board of directors Sheikh Hammad Ben Samer Al-Thani, a relative of former Qatari Emir Hamad Ben Jassem , who always interferes in the editorial guidelines of the channel according to Qatari interest.

He also referred to the connections of some workers with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, like Palestinian Wadah Khanfer, who served as a director general of the network starting in 2003.

Concerning the videos of militants and terror groups that were aired on Al Jazeera, he said that the network played an important role in spreading videos of these groups, including Al-Qadea and its leader Bin Laden.

Kadery mentioned that after working there for some years, he thinks that Al Jazeera was established to create dissension and fire in the Arab world, which it managed to do in some countries.

Referring to disputes between Qatar and Egypt, he commented saying, “Thank God that Egypt managed to fail the Muslim Brotherhood attempts of kidnapping the country.”
Kadery worked as an anchor and reporter for the Doha channel in 2002.

The Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) released a report Thursday saying that journalists and employees who worked for Al Jazeera and violated Egyptian law will be questioned, adding that any Al Jazeera employees who did not violate the law “will not be questioned for any reason.”

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain insist on their stance against Qatar’s support of terrorist groups in the region. The Arab quartet adheres to the unity of the regional states so as to defeat terrorism and fulfill regional stability, the report added.

The four countries cut ties with Qatar in June upon charges of supporting and funding terrorist groups and harboring extremists.

On June 6, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Ahmad Al-Sabah started a tour that included Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, in an attempt to mediate between the three countries. The attempt was unsuccessful.

A list of 13 demands was given to Doha’s government by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain for reconciliation, which includes the closing of Al Jazeera. Qatar’s response was described as “negative” by the four countries’ foreign ministers, who released a joint statement from a summit held in Cairo on July 5.