USAID has transferred control over the Gaza port to a partnership of Qatar and Hamas

Caronline Glick tweeted the following:

March 19, 2024

USAID, which is responsible for carrying out Biden’s plan to build a port in Gaza, has transferred control over the project to a partnership of Qatar and Hamas.

@BaruchYedid @Now14Israel‘s Arab affairs correspondent reported all the details yesterday. I translated his report, below.

Host Shimon Riklin: You’re bringing an initial report that the pier that is being built in the Gaza Strip will be owned by Qatar/Hamas.

Arab Affairs Correspondent Baruch Yedid: Yes. Yes. The Americans asked the Qataris to take on the financing and management and the operation as we reported last Wednesday based on Arab sources. A few days ago the Americans conferred in Cyprus with several parties including the Emiratis and the Qataris. I can report that the only one who so far has agreed to finance this port, this pier is Qatar. Qatar has an interest in this port. Qatar wants to preserve Hamas. It wants control over a central artery of life in the Gaza Strip. It also wants a leverage point over Hamas. That’s why it’s clear why Qatar is involved.

Riklin: What about the State of Israel?

Yedid: Israel is not involved in this issue.

Crosstalk.

Yedid: Israel is not being included in the discussions. I’ll get to Israel shortly. Why is this good for Hamas? Hamas views this as a sort of aspirin, that’s what people in Gaza are telling us. Hamas is concerned about this pier which they fear will legitimize continuous Israeli presence in Gaza for the long run. Israel you asked about? Israel, from our diplomatic sources, Israel opposed. The Americans ignored us and assigned the Qataris to run the project. The Qataris didn’t only say yes, the Qataris came with an additional demand. The Qataris wanted this port to be built by a company named Al Hissi from Gaza. A bit about the Al Hissi Company. Today, contractors in Gaza are very angry at this company, the Al Hissi Company that is owned by Yasser al Hissi. This company is the primary supplier for engineering, electricity and infrastructure for Hamas, a lot of the municipalities, local governing councils, transportation infrastructure in Sejaeeya, Gaza City, Khan Yunis and other locales. It’s controlled by Palestinian officers. It also transfers, according to contractors in Gaza…

Riklin: Wait, wait Baruch, you’re bringing a lot of information. I want to make this clear to our audience. Can you say that this company Al Hissi is a Hamas company, that it’s controlled by Hamas?

Yedid: It is controlled and a subsidiary of Hamas. It wins massive contracts.
Noam Amir (military correspondent): And what will it do with the concrete for the port?

Riklin: I don’t understand what is going on here. I don’t understand. This pier will be controlled by Hamas and Qatari control. We have IDF soldiers guarding the area. I don’t understand how this is works.

Yedid: This company also carried out most of Qatar’s projects [in Gaza]. Here you see on the screen the heads of the company with the ambassador Amadi. This is the man who brought the suitcases of cash into Gaza. This is the Qatari ambassador. Here is the company on the right, signing the contracts. This company is registered in the Palestinian Authority. Who is bringing it in, the same “cabinet” of American foreign charity [USAID] which assigns this body to coordinate the entire project. This is the body that is bringing in the Al Hissi Company. So here we’ve arrived at a point where the Qataris will have control because they’re the financiers. This is good for Hamas because their company is operating it. When the original idea was to isolate Hamas. Here we have another instance – and not a lone instance – of Qatari-American cooperation. Yesterday, a senior Jordanian officer spoke to one of the Arab media outlets and said, “If Hamas is there, I’m concerned.”

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— ????? 14 (@Now14Israel) March 18, 2024