Qatar is a fraud feigning to bring peace to the Middle East, a consummate arsonist dressed as a firefighter. The Islamist nation harbors the senior leadership of Hamas, yet has positioned itself as a broker attempting to secure the release of the 240 hostages that Hamas kidnapped. By looking into the recent statements of Qatar’s government, religious institutions, and state-run press, it becomes apparent that Qatar is ill-equipped to mediate such a hostage release, as the country is sympathetic to Hamas’ relentless jihadism and bigotry against Jews and Israel. Some examples are the following:
Oct. 7
Right after Hamas’ attack, The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it “…holds Israel solely responsible for the ongoing escalation…” [Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oct. 7, 2023]
Qatar-based and funded International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) called the Hamas attack “an effective development of legitimate resistance, even a mandatory one,” and called on other Islamic states to join Hamas, stating “it is the duty of the Islamic nation to stand with it using all its capabilities, each according to their capacity.” [IUMS, Oct. 7, 2023]
Oct. 8
Multiple Qatari newspapers publish articles with headlines praising the Hamas attack, including:
- “Al-Aqsa Flood Is Sweeping Israel; Qatar Holds Occupation Responsible, Due to Ongoing Violations of Palestinian People’s Rights” [Al-Arab, Oct. 8, 2023]
- “Qatar Holds Israel Responsible for Escalation” [Al-Watan, 8, 2023]
- “Palestinian Resistance Shatters Israel’s Prestige” [Al-Arab, 8, 2023]
- “Al-Aqsa Flood Shocks Israeli Entity” [Al-Watan, 8, 2023]
- “Al-Aqsa Flood Shatters Myth of [Invincible] Occupation” [Al-Sharq, Oct. 8, 2023]
Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti writes in Qatar’s Al-Watan that the Hamas attack is “a first-class, high-quality military operation that sends a message to the occupier…” and that the attack was “…a victory the likes of which has not been achieved since October 1973.” The journalist also likens the Hamas attack to when Prophet Mohammed’s army murdered 100 Jews in the Arabian peninsula for not converting to Islam. [Al-Watan, Oct. 8, 2023]
An editorial in Qatar’s Al-Raya claims the Hamas attack is a “natural response to Israel’s provocations and escalation…” and implores the world to “not place the criminal [i.e., Israel] and the victim [i.e., the Palestinians] on the same footing.” [Al-Raya, Oct. 8, 2023]
Haber Al-Harmi, editor-in-chief of Qatar’s Al-Sharq, calls the Hamas attack “…a new turning point in the process of liberating Palestine, all of Palestine.” He also called the attack “a heroic operation” and “…a new phase in the military confrontation…[that]…has revived the Arab peoples’ hope for the complete liberation of Palestinian soil.” [Al-Sharq, Oct. 8, 2023]
Oct. 15
Qatari journalist A’isha Abedan, writing for Qatar’s Al-Sharq, calls Israel “Nazism in new garb.” [Al-Sharq, Oct. 15, 2023]
Oct. 16
Qatar’s Al-Raya publishes a poem written by Jordanian columnist Dr. Ayman Otoom, praising the Hamas attackers as “martyr[s],”“this pure group,” and “heroes,” while the attack is the “beginning of victory, and exaltedness.” [Al-Raya, Oct. 16, 2023]
Oct. 26
Qatari journalist Ibtesam Aal Sa’ad, writing for Qatar’s Al-Sharq, called Israel described “the greatest Nazi force” and its retaliation against Hamas “the Nazi-Israeli war machine.” [Al-Sharq, Oct. 26, 2023]
Qatar-based and funded International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) re-publishes a 2019 article originally published in 2019 by Hamas’ culture ministry claiming that the Prophet Mohammad stated that Muslims must wage jihad with Israel in Ashkelon and/or near Gaza [IUMS, Oct. 26, 2023]
Oct. 29
Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti in Qatar’s Al-Watan states that Hamas is fighting a “war of an entire nation, and not just of Gaza…This is a religious war, and not a war between armies…,” that “this round will [end with the victory] of [Hamas], since its members are the believers and servants of Allah…” and that “Israel wants to eliminate them in order to temporarily delay the elimination of the Jews.” [Al-Watan, Oct. 29, 2023]
Oct. 31
Qatar-based and funded International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) calls for jihad against Israel, specifically calling for the Palestinian Authority, “all the resistance factions in the West Bank and inside Israel,” Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and “[a]ll Arab and Islamic countries” to provide “[m]ilitary intervention and supply of military equipment and expertise” as “a binding religious obligation.” [IUMS, Oct. 31, 2023]
Qatar, in line with its demented and bigoted rhetoric towards the Jewish state, blames Israel for lack of progress in releasing the hostages, namely the “practices of the Israeli occupation army.” Such rhetoric shows that Qatar ultimately wants to tie Israel’s hands and prevent it from defending itself and crushing Hamas. Additionally, Qatar’s vague promise to “re-evaluate” its relations with Hamas, whatever that means, cannot be trusted. The US and Israel should not be tempted by Qatar’s offering to negotiate the release of the hostages. The only path to peace will be Israel’s complete victory over Hamas.
