Qatar denies it asked Al Jazeera to drop 'Israeli lobby' documentary

Qatar has denied it has asked Doha-based Al Jazeera channel not to air a documentary on “Israeli lobby in Washington” and called such news reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz as false.

Replying to a question from Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka, Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Time, whether Qatar has pledged to the American Jewish leaders that it will prevent Al Jazeera from broadcasting an investigative documentary about the "Israeli lobby in Washington", the foreign ministry spokesperson HE Lolwah al-Khater said: “The State of Qatar realises that the significance and constructive role of media is conditioned upon media independence. This is precisely why Qatar's government ensured to create all the right conditions for Qatar-based media outlets to thrive independently and objectively. “Accordingly, Qatar denies the false news about requesting the Al Jazeera Network to suspend the airing of the documentary that was produced by the latter.” Explaining Qatar’s position, she said: “We see this news in the context of the blockading countries' tireless attempts to cast scepticism over Qatar's open and progressive model of governance and to make a case for repeating their demand to shut down Al Jazeera. Shutting down Al Jazeera has been an objective of the quartet which owns dozens of media outlets but seems unable to compete with Al Jazeera, in what should be a free market of ideas. It seems like their inability to compete and gain credibility is what is driving these campaigns to defame Qatar and its various positions.” HE al Khater said journalism and media are vital and advanced professions that have their own codes of ethics, regulations and guidelines as well as they're governed, as the situation demands, by both national and international law. “Should any party have a legitimate concern based on solid legal grounds, they may proceed with the agreed upon mechanisms in such cases,” she added.