Tillerson urges Gulf states to ease the Qatar blockade Trump previously cheered

Three days after President Trump seemingly took credit for the Gulf states' freeze-out of Qatar, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt to "ease the blockade against Qatar." Tillerson said Friday that the decision to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar bore "humanitarian consequences" and adversely affected the fight against the Islamic State, though he added Qatar needs to address concerns that it is providing financial support to Islamic extremists. Qatar has denied funding terrorist groups.
Trump on Tuesday recounted on Twitter how during his visit last month to the Middle East, he said there "could no longer be funding of radical ideology" and "leaders pointed to Qatar — look!" "So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off," Trump tweeted. "They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants