ARAB-ISRAEL - Nov.9 - Qatar Bows To Saudi Pressure & Cuts Israeli Ties.

Qatar's FM Shaikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani says his government will close the Israeli trade office in Doha, to pave the way for a successful summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, hosted by Qatar. The decision came a day after Saudi Arabia said it would boycott the Nov.12-14 OIC meeting in protest at Qatar's refusal to break low-level ties with Israel, as recommended by last month's emergency Cairo Arab Summit. (This marks a diplomatic setback for the Jewish state. In the past month, Oman, Tunisia and Morocco have severed their ties with Israel in protest at the killing of Palestinians in unrest that has claimed 188 lives. Arab officials say that if the Israeli action continues, Jordan and Egypt, which have peace agreements with Israel, will be forced to review relations. Qatar, which prides itself on following an independent foreign policy that often alienates its conservative GCC neighbours, resisted calls to close the Israeli trade office. But the Saudi boycott, which was likely to be followed by similar moves from other states, including Iran and Syria, threatened to derail the OIC summit. The Palestinian uprising, which erupted in late September, is expected to top the agenda at the summit. Palestinians have called on the more than 50 Arab and Muslim heads of state gathering in Doha to back the struggle against Israeli occupation and Palestinian rights for a return of occupied land, including Arab East Jerusalem and its Muslim holy sites. The recommendations of the Doha meeting will be subject to heated debate, as countries such as Iran and Iraq have been arguing for strong retaliatory measures against Israel, while more moderate Arab and Muslim states seek to leave the door open for further negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis).