Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir. Photo: Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo / US Department of Defense.

JNS.org – Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir called on Qatar to end its support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood amid a deepening rift between the Arab Gulf states.

“We have decided to take steps to make it clear that enough is enough,” Jubeir told reporters in Paris. “No one wants to hurt Qatar, but it must decide whether it is going in one direction or the other, and I hope that the cost of the economic damage that will be caused to Qatar will convince it to go in the right direction and stop supporting organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.”

Judeir’s comments come as tension heightens between Qatar and Arab states, including Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The Arab countries all severed diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar Monday, citing its support for terrorism.

President Donald Trump appeared to praise the Arab states’ move, tweeting that during his recent Mideast trip, he had “stated that there can no longer be funding of radical ideology.”

“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.”

Yet Trump’s tweet drew concern among American defense officials because Qatar is home to the forward headquarters of the US Central Command, a major Mideast intelligence hub for the US and the site from where it carries out attacks against Islamic State.