Prominent US senator and former presidential candidate John Kerrey criticized the Qatari government for adopting double standards when dealing with Hamas and the United States. Speaking at the Brookings Institution in the US, he said he was surprised to see Doha giving aid to the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and considering itself a US ally at the same time, as Washington considers Hamas a terrorist organization. "Qatar can't continue to be an American ally on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday" Kerry added. He delivered this speech after returning from his latest trip to the Middle East, where he visited Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Kerrey, who is also chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, described the Arab Peace Initiative put forward by Saudi King Abdullah in 2002 as a bold step forward and a real beginning to solve the Middle East crisis. He also affirmed that its importance should not be played down, adding that this initiative had instead not been given the attention it deserved. Kerry added that building on the Arab Peace Initiative required that the US work with the Arab countries to start a gradual process, adding that these countries should not just promise to improve relations with Israel. He said the initiative granted Israel peace with and recognition by the Arab world in exchange for a definitive agreement. However, he said this was not enough, as more steps were needed from all parties to build trust and momentum along the road.
