Peloni: This is a disgusting caveat to the Surrender Deal. The world is going to award the chief coordinator of terror with the Nobel Peace Prize. Having coerced its influence over Trump’s envoy to manipulate the Israeli govt into concessions which will be devastating over the coming years, they are now to gain world renown for their influence peddling among Trump’s inner circle and call it peace making.
Natalie Ecanow | Jan 29, 2025
A Qatari diplomat recently suggested that the emir of Qatar deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the war in Gaza that Doha effectively abetted. In a statement to The Jerusalem Post, Qatar’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, claimed that Qatar “played a pivotal role in ending the war” and that “in recognition of its sacrifices and leadership,” Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sheikh Abdullah’s congratulations to his uncle are deceiving. Qatar has pumped upwards of $1 billion into Hamas-run Gaza, provided a haven for Hamas leaders and financiers, and legitimized Hamas propaganda on its state-owned media network Al Jazeera. Doha released a statement on October 7, 2023, holding “Israel alone responsible” for Hamas’s massacre. Yet despite its leverage over the terrorist group, Doha repeatedly failed to exert pressure on Hamas during months of negotiations.
Doha’s efforts to gaslight its role in the Gaza war continued on January 26, when Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani lamented during an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 “that it took [this long] to get an agreement.” Sheikh Mohammed claimed that “with every day we were delayed,” Doha “felt a sense of responsibility that [it] was costing a lot of lives, of the Gazans or of the hostages being held in Gaza.”
Qatar Seeks Acclaim for Ending War It Enabled
Qatar effectively enabled the conditions that rendered its diplomatic services necessary. In April 2024, a group of American and Israeli intelligence professionals concluded that the “Doha-Gaza Alliance at all levels — financial, political, and military — has resulted in the current regional upheaval.” Drawing on English, Arabic, and French sources, the group found that “Qatari funding and policies led directly to” Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion and that Qatar “benefits directly from the bloodshed and geopolitical fallout and unrest that result from its policies.”
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli suggested in a December 2023 interview that relying on Qatar to broker a Gaza ceasefire is “as if the U.S. would turn to Pakistan, which once harbored Bin Laden, for moderation on behalf of itself.”
Doha Signals Acceptance of Hamas Returning to Power
During his interview with Channel 12, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani argued that “a two-state solution will be the only way forward” and that governance in Gaza “is a decision for the Palestinians to take.” He left room for the possibility that Hamas will once again rule Gaza while recognizing that “the Israeli people also have the right to assurances of security on their border.” Already, thousands of Hamas operatives have redeployed throughout Gaza and begun to reassert control over the coastal enclave.
Hamas Must Not Be Allowed to Regain Control Over Gaza
Qatar appears comfortable concluding the Gaza war in a manner that will allow Hamas to reassert control. That sentiment squares with Doha’s historic allegiance to Hamas but is inconsistent with Israeli and American expectations. When the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar maintained that “if [Hamas] will stay in power, the regional instability it causes might continue,” adding that “automatically” proceeding to the second phase of the ceasefire “is to accept Hamas’s wishes and Hamas’s demands.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this sentiment on January 28, telling his Egyptian counterpart that “Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.”
As a sponsor of Hamas, Qatar has never been an honest broker in this conflict. If the Trump administration is intent on relying on Qatari mediators, it must do so soberly, understanding that Qatar’s loyalty lies with Hamas and that the emirate is predisposed to do the group’s bidding.
Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.
https://x.com/stateofapod/status/1882141735716827266
@dreuveni
Good point
Qatar would be a nice place to resettle “Palestinians”. There are already a few there and money us no problem. I wonder why we didn’t think of Qatar before e.g. Indonesia.
I sit my soup out when I saw this