The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has unblocked several Qatari news websites after six years. The development comes after both countries held a high-level meeting.
The blocked websites included renowned news agencies, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, the New Arab, Qatar News Agency, and many others.
Al-Monitor, a Middle Eastern news site, confirmed that UAE residents can now access these sites. However, Doha News and the Middle East Eye are still blocked in the Emirates.
Both countries have significantly improved their relations after signing Al-Ula Declaration in Saudi Arabia in 2021. The declaration was mediated by the United States (US) and Kuwait.
Reason Behind Qatar and UAE’s Dispute
In June 2017, Egypt and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, marking the start of the Gulf dispute.
The 4 countries accused Qatar of supporting an extremist organization in Egypt called the Muslim Brotherhood. They also blamed Qatar for having economic ties with Iran because the 2 countries share the latter’s largest natural gas field.
