BY Doug McKinlay, Photo-journalist

IN the ongoing blockade of Qatar by the Gulf States, confusion reigns about the allegations brought against Qatar. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Russia Omar Saif Ghobash has insisted the Gulf states had a “wealth of evidence” to support their claims that Qatar is funding terrorism.

“We have further evidence, much more evidence than we’ve presented so far. There are more names, more organisations, more documentary evidence, more recordings that demonstrate links between the Qatari government and different organisations,” he warned.

However, neither the UAE nor any of the Gulf states behind the rift seem able to produce this proof. Not only that, the little that has been released to date has been discredited. A fact-sheet, Qatar’s History of Funding Terrorism and Extremism, posted on the Saudi Embassy website was described this week as “error-riddled” by David A Weinberg, of US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

With Qatar pushing back today against a list of onerous demands set by its opponents, this crucial failure to produce anything concrete is significant, not least because almost the entire case for the diplomatic and trade embargo against Qatar hinges on the allegations.

“The implications of that evidence will be very serious,” says Mr Ghobash. Unfortunately, in present conditions, his promises are beginning to look like hot air.

The United States has certainly noticed. “We are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the public, nor to the Qataris, the details about the claims that they are making toward Qatar,” said US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, “ The more time goes by, the more doubt is raised.”

Meanwhile, as accusations and counter-accusations continue to fly, the claims being made against Qatar risk backfiring on Saudi Arabia.

Today, the UK foreign affairs think tank Henry Jackson Society labelled Saudi Arabia – not Qatar – as the chief foreign promoter of Islamic extremism in the UK. It claimed a “clear and growing link” can be drawn between overseas money, which mainly comes from Saudi Arabia, and the recent attacks in the UK and Europe.

The UK’s Saudi Arabian embassy has dismissed the claims as “categorically false”, but at the very least, the report puts Prime Minister Theresa May under pressure to announce a public inquiry into the findings. For its part, Qatar has denied funding extremists, and has suggested that it will accept independent monitoring – but only if Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours do the same.

The real story, of course, is that the diplomatic and trade embargo is less about tackling global terrorism, and a great deal to do with attempting to cripple a troublesome neighbour. As one of Mr Weinberg’s Twitter followers commented, ‘Saudi Arabia has an image problem, it can’t rectify it, it can only blame Qatar to look better.” However, the lack of evidence to justify the embargo against Qatar could now give President Trump the opportunity he needs to resolve the crisis. Certainly, he will be looking to face-save after initially jumping on the Gulf states bandwagon to condemn Qatar, while seemingly forgetting that the US has its largest foreign airbase in Doha.

We should all be willing to listen to the facts. However, while Qatar’s opponents dither over the evidence, Mr Trump can show he’s not taking sides and commit to preventing the financing of all terrorism, regardless of where it comes from. If further damage is to be averted, it’s also time for the Gulf states to stop playing a game of tit-for-tat and start working on a resolution.