International law: Qatar crisis is not a ‘blockade’

CAIRO – 1 July 2017: The Arab Federation of Human Rights condemned the Qatari government’s decision to name the recent severance of diplomatic ties assumed by many Arab countries towards the Gulf nation as a ‘blockade’.

The federation clarified in a report that ‘blockade’ is defined as a coercive isolation imposed through military force, according to international law.

Qatar is however subject to a ‘boycott’ which is “a withdrawal of diplomatic and economic relations by a state or group of states with another state,” according to media agency Arab News. The boycott began on June 5 and was initiated by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the U.A.E. as a result of Qatar’s ongoing support to terrorist entities across the Middle East region.


infographic on the difference between "blockade" and "boycott" - Egypt Today/Ahmed Hussein

All countries have the sovereign right to establish or sever diplomatic ties with other states in the event that the latter are attempt “to stir unrest and insecurity among the international community.” Thus, any country has to right to boycott any other country perceived as a threat.

The federation’s report mentioned that the European Union also rejected the label ‘blockade’ as referring to the current measures taken against Qatar by its neighbors. The EU, Russian government and the United States are anticipating that Qatar will soon abandon its support for terrorist groups, according to Arab News.

“Qatar has shown a lack of political will to implement anti-terrorist financing laws effectively,” Adam Zubin, a senior official at the U.S. Treasury Department, stated.


Infographic by Ahmed Hussein