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Qatari support for Hamas

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Qatar has been a key financial supporter of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, transferring more than $1.8 billion to Hamas over the years.[1][2] In consultation with the U.S. and Israeli governments, $30 million were transferred monthly to Hamas, according to a Qatari official interviewed by Der Spiegel in 2023.[3]

The United States requested in 2011 that Qatar provide a base for the Hamas leadership to ease communications with the group.[3] From 2012, Qatar hosted the Hamas party leadership when Hamas head Khaled Mashal relocated from Syria to Qatar.[4] The former head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, had resided in Doha since 2016 until his death in 2024.[5] Qatar has been called Hamas' most important financial backer and foreign ally.[6][7]

From 2018 to 2023, Israel's government enabled and approved of the Qatari support for Hamas for political reasons.[8]

In May 2024, it was reported that the United States had urged Qatar to remove Hamas leaders from its territory if they declined to agree to a hostage deal with Israel.[9][10] Later, it was reported that Qatar is reviewing the future of Hamas' office in Doha as part of a broader evaluation of its role as a mediator in the Israel–Hamas war.[11]

History

In 2007, Qatar was, with Turkey, the only country to back Hamas after the group ousted the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip.[4] The relationship between Hamas and Qatar strengthened in 2008 and 2009 when Khaled Meshaal was invited to attend the Doha Summit where he was seated next to the then Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who pledged $250 million to repair the damage caused by Israel in the Israeli war on Gaza.[12] These events caused Qatar to become the main player in the "Palestinian issue". Qatar called Gaza's blockade unjust and immoral, which prompted the Hamas government in Gaza, including former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, to thank Qatar for their "unconditional" support. Qatar then began regularly handing out political, material, humanitarian and charitable support for Hamas.[12]

In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama personally requested that Qatar, one of the U.S.'s most important Arab allies, provide a base for the Hamas leadership. At the time, the U.S. were seeking to establish communications with Hamas and believed that a Hamas office in Qatar would be easier to access than a Hamas bureau in Iran, the group's main backer.[13][14]

In 2012, Qatar's former Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, became the first head of state to visit Gaza under Hamas rule. He pledged to raise $400 million for reconstruction.[15] Sources say that advocating for Hamas is politically beneficial to Turkey and Qatar because the Palestinian cause draws popular support amongst their citizens at home.[16]

Speaking in reference to Qatar's support for Hamas, during a 2015 visit to Palestine, Qatari official Mohammad al-Emadi, said Qatar is using the money not to help Hamas but rather the Palestinian people as a whole. He acknowledges however that giving to the Palestinian people means using Hamas as the local contact. Emadi said, "You have to support them. You don't like them, don't like them. But they control the country, you know."[17] Some argue that Hamas's relations with Qatar are putting Hamas in an awkward position because Qatar has become part of the regional Arab problem.

In a controversial deal, Israel's government under Benjamin Netanyahu supported Qatar's payments to Hamas for many years, in the hope that it would turn Hamas into an effective counterweight to the Palestinian Authority and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.[8]

2023 Israel–Hamas war

Following the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and the outbreak of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Qatar played a key mediator role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, brokering a ceasefire agreement in November 2023 that led to the release of about 100 Israeli hostages.[13]

In May 2024, it was reported that the United States had urged Qatar to remove Hamas leaders from its territory if they declined to agree to a hostage deal with Israel.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ehl, David (May 15, 2021). "Who is Hamas? Who supports Hamas? What you need to know". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "Qatar, Iran, Turkey and beyond: The galaxy of Hamas supporters". France 24. 2023-10-14. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  3. ^ a b Koelbl, Susanne (2023-11-02). "NATO Partner and Hamas Host". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  4. ^ a b Gidda, Mirren (July 25, 2014). "Hamad Still Has Some Friends Left". Time. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Shadowy Hamas official with ties to Iran tapped to lead Gaza". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Who is Hamas? Who supports Hamas? What you need to know". Deutsche Welle. May 15, 2021. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  7. ^ "Hamas is feeling the pain of Qatar's crisis, and is looking to Egypt for help". Los Angeles Times. June 19, 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Elbagir, Nima; Arvanitidis, Barbara; Platt, Alex; Razek, Raja; Ebrahim, Nadeen (2023-12-11). "Qatar sent millions to Gaza for years – with Israel's backing. Here's what we know about the controversial deal". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  9. ^ a b Ryan, Missy; Hudson, John; George, Susannah (2024-05-03). "U.S. tells Qatar to evict Hamas if it obstructs Israeli hostage deal". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  10. ^ a b Haaretz (2024-05-04). "Report: U.S. tells Qatar to expel Hamas leaders if they refuse Gaza cease-fire deal". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  11. ^ Mils, Andrew (2024-04-05). "Qatar considers future of Hamas office in Doha".
  12. ^ a b "Hamas Ties to Qatar Have Cost". April 22, 2013. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Qatar reconsiders mediator role between Hamas and Israel". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  14. ^ Koelbl, Susanne (2023-11-02). "NATO Partner and Hamas Host". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  15. ^ Black, Ian; Sherwood, Harriet (October 23, 2012). "Qatari emir's visit to Gaza is a boost for Hamas". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Levs, Josh (August 6, 2014). "Which Mideast power brokers support Hamas?". CNN. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  17. ^ "Why Israel Lets Qatar Give Millions To Hamas". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
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