Al-Thani's royal letter praises Saudi support to Qataris

CAIRO - 24 August 2017: The Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassem Al-Thani posted on Twitter on Thursday a letter sent by his grandfather to the late King Abdulaziz Al-Saud where he stressed the strong deep relationship between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In the letter, the grandfather Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, wrote that Saudi Arabia is the “only supporter of Qatar after God.” The grandson, Sheikh Abdullah, posted the letter on Twitter weeks after he criticized Tamim’s regime and stance regarding the diplomatic rift between Qatar and Gulf states.

Al-Arabiya TV Channel recently said in a report that the "the family of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Thani and his grandfathers have been well known for their good governance and administration of the country, and good diplomatic relations with neighboring countries in the last century."

On Aug. 18, the grandson Sheikh Abdullah, who has received massive support on social media, demanded the Qatari regime facilitate travel procedures of citizens to perform pilgrimage. He provided a hotline for Qatari pilgrims.

Over the past weeks, Sheikh Abdullah has been framed as a mediator in an almost three month – long rift between four Arab states and Qatar, as the quartet accused the tiny Gulf state of funding terrorist groups in the region.

As part of his mediation role, Sheikh Abdullah met with King Salman, especially requesting to open the Salwa border for Qatari pilgrims. The Saudi King later announced facilitations to the Qatari pilgrimage crisis, as he offered to send planes on his own expenses to carry pilgrims from Doha to the Kingdom territories.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali: the new Qatari ruler?

Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali is the second son of the late Emir Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani, the grandson of the Emir of Qatar, Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani, and the brother of Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al-Thani, who was overthrown by his cousin Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani, grandfather of Prince Tamim bin Hamad on February 22, 1972.

Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim feels his reign is in danger after the appearance of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani on the scene and the welcoming spirit that his appearance was received by the Qataris.

A large set of officials, politicians, writers and public figures used the hashtag to welcome Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali on Twitter.

On the other hand, supporters of Qatar’s Tamim countered with the hashtag, “my pledge to Tamim,” criticizing Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani especially after his visit to Saudi Arabia.