Souq Waqif In Doha, Qatar
The masquerade of Qatar as a humanitarian actor is aimed to be used as a cover to gain more influence in the region. So far, it has succeeded in doing so
Qatar, a small country that relies heavily on oil and gas, has been in the news since October 7 for helping mediate the conflict between Hamas and Israel. This has led to the release of over 100 out of about 240 hostages taken by Hamas.In the West, Qatar is seen as one of the moderate Islamic countries in the Middle East. Is this true, or is this small country hiding an ugly truth?
Qatar is a country in West Asia on the northeastern Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south and is surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The capital is Doha, where over 80% of the people live, and most of the land is flat, low-lying desert.
Qatar's history before the 18th century is not well documented. At that time, the area was mostly inhabited by Bedouin nomads and had a few fishing villages.
Modern Qatar's history starts in 1766 when families from Kuwait, especially the Āl Khalīfah family, moved to the peninsula. They settled in Al-Zubārah, which became a small center for pearl diving and trade. The Āl Khalīfah family rules today the kingdom of Bahrain. They are Sunni Muslims and part of the Anizah tribe, which is an Arabian tribe in the Arabian Peninsula, Upper Mesopotamia, and the Levant. Some members of the large family joined the Utub alliance, an Arab tribal confederation in the Arabian Peninsula. They then moved from Najd in Arabia to Kuwait, then ruled Qatar before settling in Bahrain.
In 1783, the Āl Khalīfah family took control of Bahrain and rules there until today. After they left Qatar, various sheikhs governed the country.
Qatar has been ruled by the House of Āl Thānī since 1868 when Mohammed bin Thānī made an agreement with Britain. It became a British protectorate in 1916 and gained independence in 1971.
The Āl Thānī dynasty asked for British support against rival tribes and the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Qatar in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In return, Britain managed Qatar's foreign policy until it became independent in 1971.
After that, the monarchy maintained strong relationships with Western countries for national security. Qatar has one of the world’s largest reserves of petroleum and natural gas and employs large numbers of foreign workers in its production process.
Qatar and the Palestinians
The Palestinians have had long relations with Qatar. The relations between Qatar and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declined during the First Gulf War in the early 1990s due to the PLO supporting Iraq.
Following Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Hamas won the Palestinian elections in Gaza in 2006 from Fatah, formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (PLO). After a one-year stand-off with the ruling Fatah faction, Hamas fought a bloody civil war, executing some of its Fatah rivals by shoving them off buildings.
Qatar sided with Hamas and endorsed its takeover of Gaza in 2007. It has provided political and financial assistance to the Islamist group in the years since while undermining the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank.
The relationship between Qatar and Hamas grew even stronger in 2012 when the former Emir of Qatar visited Gaza and hosted Hamas leaders in Doha.
Hamas opened an office in Doha in 2012, led by Ismail Haniyeh. Qatar's ambassador to the U.S., Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani, said that Hamas opened the office after a request from Washington to help talk with them.
However, an official from the Obama White House said there was no such request, but they also did not stop Hamas from opening the office. A spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said on November 5 that they will keep the office open if it helps with diplomacy. In the U.S. Congress, Qatar is trying to stop a law that says the country supports Hamas financially.
The Muslim Brotherhood
Besides Hamas, Qatar, also hosts and funds the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot, is an Islamic organization with a political approach to Islam. It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by cleric Hassan al-Banna after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
The Brotherhood is viewed by many in the Middle East and the West as the root source of Islamic terrorism.
The Brotherhood has branches in 70 countries and territories, including its main contingents in Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Libya, Tunisia, and Jordan. It also maintains active branches in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and numerous other European countries as well as in the United States.
The organization's motto: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”
The relationship between Western European countries, the U.S and Qatar
Yet, despite it's very public relations and funding of terrorist organisations, Qatar is a major non-NATO ally to Western European countries and the U.S.
The country is seen as a strong player in diplomacy, like helping with talks to bring Ukrainian children back from Russia, and it has helped organizing talks between the US and Iran before October 7, and recently between the US and Venezuela.
Unlike Iran, which supports Hamas, and other terrorist organisations with weapons and money, Qatar is part of the Western capitalist system. Since the mid-1990s, it has used its wealth to gain respect and influence, like when it hosted the World Cup in 2022, despite some corruption claims.
The US has gained from Qatar's generosity: In 1996, Doha put $1 billion into building a military base, Al-Udeid, which now holds 8,000 US troops, creating a strong alliance with the US and ensuring safety from outside threats.
Qatar and American Universities
Saudi Arabia used to give the most money to American universities compared to other Middle Eastern countries. But recently, Qatar has become a strong competitor.
Qatar has donated at least $4.7 billion to American universities from 2001 to 2021. They support research in many areas, like health, cybersecurity, and economic growth. The universities that get the most Qatari money all have branches in Qatar.
For example, since starting its branch in Qatar in 2008, Northwestern University has received nearly $582 million from Qatar. This university is one of six American schools in Qatar, each focusing on different subjects. Cornell University teaches medical studies, while Georgetown University teaches government and politics. Northwestern's branch in Qatar mainly teaches journalism.
The Qatar Foundation (QF) is a non-profit created by Qatar's ruling family in 1995 to improve life in Qatar. They funded an educational complex to help more Qataris join the workforce, allow them to take over jobs usually held by foreigners, encourage them to return after studying abroad, and support Qatar's Islamic traditions.
After starting QF, Qatar invited Western universities to open campuses in Education City, Doha, to provide education for its young people. The first campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, opened in 1997. Northwestern University (NU-Q) opened in 2008, thanks in part to Vartan Gregorian from the Carnegie Foundation, who helped bring Northwestern to Qatar.
QF hoped that Northwestern would train future journalists to enhance Qatar’s media presence. In 2013, NU-Q made a formal deal with Al-Jazeera to train journalists, which included scholarships and exchange programs.
They also agreed to help Al Jazeera grow in the American media market. Although Al-Jazeera America shut down in 2016, Al Jazeera still connects with American audiences through social media. Later in this article I will come back to the news agency Al-Jazeera.
However, universities working with Qatar face criticism due to the country’s poor worker rights, women’s rights, and press freedom. People who criticize the Qatari government can be jailed, raising concerns about academic freedom for professors. The Qatari government’s plan for development aims to modernize without changing its traditional values, which raises questions about American universities partnering with them.
Stephen Eisenman, a former Northwestern professor, raised concerns after visiting NU-Q in 2015 and suggested nine reforms, including more scholarships for low-income and non-Qatari students and better governance for faculty. As of 2021, his proposals had not been put into action.
"Education City' in Doha
In July 2019 at the Department of Justice (DOJ), in Washington, D.C., Dr. Charles Asher Small, the ISGAP (Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy) Director, presented the findings of an ISGAP research project started in 2012, entitled “Follow the Money”.
The ongoing research project examines illicit funding of United States universities by foreign governments, foundations and corporations that adhere to and promote anti-democratic and antisemitic ideologies, with connections to terrorism and terror financing.
The project revealed, for the first time, the existence of substantial Middle Eastern funding (primarily from Qatar) to US universities that had not been reported to the Department of Education (DoED), as required by law. In fact, ISGAP’s research uncovered billions of dollars of unreported funds, which, in turn, led to the launch of a federal government investigation in 2019.
As part of its continued research, ISGAP has uncovered and established that the foreign donations from Qatar, especially, have had a substantial impact on fomenting growing levels of antisemitic discourse and campus politics at US universities, as well as growing support for anti-democratic values within these institutions of higher education. With the explosion of antisemitism at US universities in recent months, there are also security concerns that have potential domestic and global implications.
September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11
Qatar is responsible for Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's (photo above) 2,977 murders on 9/11, which are part of 31 attacks and plans he admitted to in his confession.
The U.S. made a deal with Khaled Sheikh Mohammad (KSM), who is accused of planning the 9/11 attacks, but this deal would have hidden Qatar's involvement in the attacks. Now, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has canceled the deal, which showed new and old documents about KSM's actions while working for Qatar, where he was protected.
These documents also showed that Qatar helped KSM avoid getting caught by the FBI. In1996, when the FBI went to Qatar to arrest KSM, only the Qatari emir and his palace knew about it secretly. Shortly after, KSM disappeared.
KSM escaped the country using a passport from Qatar's Ministry of Religious Affairs, led by Abdullah bin Khalid Aal-Thani, a member of the ruling family. Qatar's help in KSM's escape, which allowed him to continue his terrorist acts like 9/11, is a serious accusation against the Qatari government.
Even with KSM's confession and the information showing Qatar's support for his terrorism, no U.S. government has punished Qatar, which raises concerns. Qatar is known for being a top supporter of Islamic terrorist groups. It backs many terrorist movements, including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, the Taliban, and others.
Europe – and……. the Qatar Charity
Qatar also plays a major role in financing Islamist groups in Europe, mainly through its Qatar Charity NGO, according to a latest report by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).
At least 138 projects across Europe, many related to Muslim Brotherhood associated organizations, are being bankrolled by Qatar Charity (QC). In the last decade, the European network of the Islamic Movement has received increasing attention and financial support from Qatar, a major new player in the global market for Islam.
In 2019, two French journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, revealed that 138 projects across Europe, many related to Muslim Brotherhood‑associated organisations, were being bankrolled by Qatar, through the NGO Qatar Charity (QC), to the tune of tens of millions of Euros.
Based on documents provided to them by a source within QC, their book, "The Qatar Papers" – How the Emirate Finances Islam in France and Europe, revealed internal documents, including a table from 2014 that showed the charity’s funding of European projects to the sum of almost €72 million. “An entire system to help build mosques and Islamic centres,” Chesnot and Malbrunot write, “has been set up based on the networks of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.” QC’s mission statement refers to a system of values “that is centered around integration and inclusiveness.” But its goal in Europe, argue Chesnot and Malbrunot, is “to strengthen Islamic identity and help spread and entrench political Islam in Muslim communities throughout Europe.”
The risk of this communitarian philanthropy, they have argued, is increasing social segregation and distrust.
QC was started in Doha in 1992 to help children in emergencies and disasters. Since then, it has grown and now calls itself a "humanitarian organization." It works in over 80 countries with 25 main offices and 14 branch offices. In the last five years, its projects have helped 29 million people, costing $1.2 billion.
QC has worked on projects funded by international groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. In 2019, these projects were worth $4 million. Over 22 years, QC signed 77 agreements with UN and international groups worth $76 million. In 2014, QC helped the American aid agency, USAID, during floods in Malaysia by providing tents.
However, QC has faced accusations of supporting terrorist groups. In 2002, US prosecutors claimed QC helped fund Al-Qaeda's attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. A US embassy cable from 2009 called QC a "concern" due to its links to extremists.
In 2008, QC was labeled a "terrorism support entity" by an intelligence committee. In July 2008, Israel banned QC and other NGOs for links to a charity coalition suspected of funding Hamas. In December 2012, QC's logo was seen on aid boxes in a video linked to a jihadi group in Syria. In 2013, French officials worried that QC was funding a group tied to Al-Qaeda in Mali.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, claiming it supported terrorist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and listed QC as a related organization. They pointed to QC's aid to a Yemeni council controlled by Al-Qaeda. Qatar's government strongly denied these claims, stating they were not true. Earlier, in September 2014, Qatar's Emir denied funding terrorist groups.
Qatar and Human Rights
Censorship meanwhile continues in full force in Qatar. In 2020, Northwestern moved an event featuring Lebanese Indie rock band Mashrou’ Leila, whose lead singer is gay, from its Qatari campus to its American campus.
Qatar makes homosexual relations illegal, and perpetrators can go to prison. Northwestern claimed that they moved the event due to “security concerns.” The Qatar Foundation, however, contradicted Northwestern’s claim and stated that the NU-Q event was canceled because it did not adhere to Qatari social customs.
Both print and broadcast media are influenced by leading families and subject to state censorship. The international television network Al Jazeera is privately held, but the government has reportedly paid to support its operating costs since its inception in 1996. All journalists in Qatar practice a degree of self-censorship and face possible jail sentences for defamation and other press offenses.
Qatar controls what can be taught at its campuses and has banned questions that challenge its direction. The differences between Qatari and American values are significant, and Northwestern has not seen much profit from its Qatari campus, raising the question of why it continues to operate there.
A report of Amnesty International in 2023 states that the authorities in Qatar continue to restrict the right to freedom of expression and silence critical voices. Migrant workers continued to face a range of abuses, including wage theft, forced labor and exploitation, and they have not enough ways to complain about the treatment and get help.Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice. Discriminatory laws put LGBTI people at risk of detention.
Human Rights Watch reported in 2023 that Qatar's male guardianship system limits women's ability to make their own choices in life. In Qatar, women need permission from their male guardians to marry, study with government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until they reach certain ages, and access some reproductive health services.
Single Qatari women under 25 must get their guardian's permission to travel outside Qatar. Married women can travel without permission, but men can ask a court to stop their wives from traveling. Qatari women cannot attend events or bars that serve alcohol, and unmarried women under 30 cannot check into hotels without a male guardian. Women also face challenges when trying to rent apartments without a male guardian’s approval.
To work for government jobs, women need their guardian's permission, and those at Qatar University have movement restrictions. Male guardians or family members can report women to the police for being away from home, which may lead to their arrest and forced return.
Qatar’s Family Law also treats women unfairly in marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Women need a guardian's permission to marry and must obey their husbands. If they work or travel against their husband's wishes, they may lose financial support. Men can divorce easily, while women have to go to court under strict conditions. In inheritance, sisters receive half of what their brothers get.
While the law says husbands cannot hurt their wives, there are no specific laws for domestic violence to protect victims or punish abusers.
Women cannot be the main guardians of their children even if they are divorced and have legal custody. Qatari men can give citizenship to their spouses and children, but children of Qatari women and non-citizen men can only do so in limited cases. Qatar has a law allowing children of Qatari women married to non-Qatari men to apply for permanent residency, own property, and access government health and education.
Human Rights Watch reported that LGBT people in Qatar were unfairly arrested and treated badly in jail. They faced severe beatings, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment by police.
Officers also insulted them, forced them to confess, made them sign papers to stop "immoral activity," and did not let them see lawyers, family, or get medical help. Transgender women were forced to go to government-sponsored therapy.
Qatar’s laws make extramarital sex illegal, including same-sex relations, with penalties of up to seven years in prison. There are also penalties for men who encourage other men to engage in sexual acts. Anyone who has consensual sex outside of marriage can face up to 10 years in prison, which can include same-sex relations among women, men, or heterosexual couples.
Qatar monitors and arrests LGBT people based on their online activities and censors media that discuss sexual orientation and gender identity, especially those that support LGBT individuals.
Qatar has laws against criticizing the emir, insulting the flag, defaming religion, and trying to overthrow the government. In 2014, Qatar made a law that could send someone to prison for up to three years and/or fine them 500,000 Qatari riyal (about $137,325) for spreading "false news" online or posting content that goes against social values or insults others.
In January 2020, Qatar changed its laws to increase the prison time to five years for spreading harmful rumors or false news, along with a fine of 100,000 Qatari riyal (about $27,465).
Qatar’s foreign policy
In January 2019, Reuters uncovered information about Project Raven, a wide-ranging cyber offensive operation carried out by former NSA agents (American National Security Agents) on behalf of the UAE (United Arab Emirates).
They gathered huge amounts of documents concerning several targets, including activists, journalists, and foreign government entities in a few countries, such as Turkey, France, Yemen, Iran, Qatar, Lebanon, and Israel. The leaked documents revealed extensive political interference by Qatar in the affairs in the Arab and Muslim world, with the goal of toppling secular regimes (as in Libya and Mali), as well as strengthening Islamist terrorist organizations and movements.
The documents also reveal the interference of Qatar in the affairs of other countries, such as France, South Africa, Lebanon, and Israel, by means of significant grants to government elements, political activists, human rights organizations, and sports figures.
Qatar’s ruling family, the Al-Thanis, owns billions in prized assets in the West, notably in London and New York. The collective net worth of the extended clan is estimated at around $335 billion.
Behind the veneer of a modern, business-oriented member of the international community, the Gulf monarchy has a history of circumventing the rules, bribing its way to diplomatic stature — such as paying off European Parliament officials to abort unfavorable resolutions — and, more disturbingly, supporting instability in various Muslim countries through terror groups.
Qatar has backed and bankrolled Islamist insurgent groups with ties to al-Qaeda in northern Mali and Libya, sheltered Taliban warlords, armed Syrian rebels, and helped the Houthis launch attacks against Israel from Yemen.
In addition to relative newcomer Hamas, the Gulf monarchy has a long history of playing host to disreputable actors, in what may be regarded as a national tradition.
Ariel Admoni, a PhD student in Middle Eastern studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, noted that the country’s founding leader, Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, decided in the 19th century that Qatar was to become “a kaaba for the persecuted,” a reference to Islam’s holiest shrine, “a refuge where they could hide and would be welcomed in line with Arab tradition. But today, that is obviously just an excuse to give refuge to terror leaders.”
He maintained that the main driver of Qatar’s foreign policy is to gain clout on the international stage, saying, “Supporting terrorism is one way to achieve that goal.”
“Ultimately, by fostering terror groups in places as far-flung as Mali, Qatar manages to draw attention to itself and have a say in the global agenda,” Admoni added.
Until the mid-1990s, Qatar was a marginal regional player under the patronage of Saudi Arabia, and its foreign policy was aligned with that of its giant neighbor, Admoni explained.
In 1995, Prince Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani dethroned his father in a bloodless coup. With his rise to power, Doha’s foreign policy took a dramatic turn. The new leader strove for autonomy and to achieve regional and international recognition for his small country as a “special and unique” actor, in Admoni’s words.
Among the most notable examples of its new direction in diplomacy, Qatar boasted of maintaining relations with both Israel and Iran, at a time when no other Gulf country had open relations with the Jewish state.
Qatar established informal trade relations with Israel in 1996, and the Jewish state maintained a trade mission in Doha from 1995 to 2000 when it was shut down during the Second Intifada. Diplomatic ties were formally broken off in 2009 over Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
“The other Gulf monarchies have been attempting to restrain Doha,” Admoni said. “They are not sure they can trust the Qataris, who come across as unreliable and hungry for attention but uninterested in tackling real issues. Qatar is viewed as an enfant terrible who tries to attract attention and gain influence at their expense.”
A major shift in the Gulf’s dynamics occurred when Mohammed bin Salman, the young crown prince of Saudi Arabia, became the de facto ruler of the regional powerhouse in 2017. Among various groundbreaking policies the new ruler adopted domestically and abroad, he resolved to bring Qatar back into the Saudi sphere of influence. “But after 20 years spent pursuing an independent foreign agenda, Doha would not give up so easily,” Admoni said.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of meddling in the internal affairs of other Arab countries, of supporting terrorism, and of maintaining relations with Iran.
Qatar’s airspace, sea routes, and land border crossing with Saudi Arabia were blocked, leaving the Qatari peninsula almost entirely isolated bar a maritime border with Iran.
The drastic measure, however, did not bring about the expected result: Qatar managed to thrive even under a blockade, and eventually, the Saudis realized that the embargo had backfired, so it was lifted.
“The embargo imposed between 2017 and 2021 highlights the fact that Qatar’s neighbors, unlike the West, realize its destabilizing role,” said Yigal Carmon, a former adviser on terror to prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin.
“Similarly, Egypt has banned Al Jazeera [which is mostly funded by the Qatari government] from operating and broadcasting on its territory, because of Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that is banned in Egypt and considered a threat to the regime.” The Muslim Brotherhood is an international organization whose stated goal is the gradual Islamization of society, under the slogan “Islam is the solution.” Hamas was born out of the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood. Also Israel recently banned Al Jazeera from operating and broadcasting.
Al-Jazeera
The Arabic Al-Jazeera channel began broadcasting in 1996, and the English-language channel 10 years later. Over the years the channels have become more influential, especially as Al-Jazeera English has hired journalists from the BBC and CNN.
“They are very professional. The people on the ground are good photographers – it’s not amateurs,” Alon Liel, the former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said. “But they are also hostile to Israel and adding to Israel’s problems in The Hague [where the court is hearing a case against Israel]. Al Jazeera has a share in undermining Israel’s standing.”
To argue, as Doha seems to do, that the dispute over Al Jazeera revolves around the right to free speech, is not only wrong but also highly ironic. Far from being a champion of free speech, Al Jazeera, a mouthpiece for the Qatari monarchy, is a purveyor of Islamist extremism, jihadism, and Salafism: Among other things, the channel has aired an interview with the leader of Jabahtu Alnusra, an al-Qaeda offshoot.
Moreover, at one point, a guest on the popular show "The Opposite Direction," a copy of the "American Crossfire," has pledged his allegiance to IS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Not surprisingly, during the events of the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera did not side with the revolutionaries, but rather with the Islamists.
Al-Jazeera is owned by the Qatari government and acts as a voice for the state. The channel often praises the actions of Hamas, especially during their fights with Israel. For many years, Yusuf Qaradawi, a cleric from the Muslim Brotherhood who supported suicide bombings, had a show on the channel.
After the attack on October 7, Al-Jazeera showed a message from Hamas military leader Mohammad Deif urging people to fight. The channel also aired strong statements from Ismail Haniyeh and his assistant, Saleh al-Arouri. Haniyeh was on Al Jazeera talking about Hamas's "great victory" and asking people everywhere to join the fight in any way they could.
When in June this year the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) freed three Israeli hostages from a private home in Nuseirat, Gaza, they discovered the hostages were held captive by a "journalist" of Al-Jazeera named Abdallah Aljamal, who was also a Hamas terrorist.
The IDF stated that no press vest can make him innocent of his crimes and questioned why he is on Al-Jazeera's website. Al-Jazeera responded, saying that Aljamal does not work for them and has never worked for them. They claimed the rumors about him are false.
Aljamal worked for the Palestine Chronicle, which supports Hamas and is run by Ramzi Baroud, a former Al-Jazeera worker. This outlet is part of the People Media Project, a group that has been registered in Olympia, Washington since 2012, but its tax documents could not be found online. Aljamal also wrote an opinion piece for Al-Jazeera, and was a spokesperson for Hamas's Ministry of Labor.
Israel has claimed that several of the network’s reporters are actually Hamas operatives, a claim that Al Jazeera denies. For example, Ismail Abu Omar, who was wounded in an Israeli airstrike near southern Gaza’s Rafah in mid-February, has been flown to Qatar for treatment. A cameraman for Al Jazeera was also wounded.
In his March 11, 2024 column in the Palestinian Authority (PA) daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, journalist Bassem Barhoum wrote that Qatar's Al-Jazeera is a populist media network that peddles illusions to the Arab public and covers events in a slanted manner while expertly advancing its Islamist agenda and the agenda of extremist terror organizations. He stated that, since its establishment in 1996 by Qatar's former Emir, who also funded the network, Al-Jazeera has been supporting the movements of political Islam, chief of them the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), as well as the various terror organizations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, by promoting their agenda and providing a platform for their leaders, such as the extremist sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, Osama bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri and many others. This policy, he added, has contributed to the disintegration of nation-states like Syria, Iraq and Libya and the rise to power of MB parties in the Arab Spring revolutions, although the people of those countries wished to promote democratic and liberal agendas.
Suitcases of cash for Hamas in Gaza
Between 2007 and 2014, Qatar provided Hamas with funds, away from any international oversight or review and from 2014 on, funding from Qatar was coordinated with the United States and Israel. Between the years of 2012-2018 Hamas received over $1.1 billion from Qatar.
The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge, started on July 8, 2014, when Israel launched a military action after Hamas-related militants kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers. After the war, the U.S., UN, Israel, and Qatar agreed to send $30 million a month to Gaza in suitcases. This money was split into three parts: $10 million for fuel from Israel for Gaza's power, $10 million for paying government workers, and $10 million in $100 payments to help 100,000 families in need.
That was the time when the notion that Hamas would back away from its intent to destroy Israel as long as it accumulates governing and economic assets took root in Israel.
Until 2018, Qatari funds were not given to Gaza on a regular basis and delivered only occasionally with approval from Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "The PA said it would no longer agree to fund Hamas and rather than let the terror group collapse, Israel decided on an alternative route for its funding," says Dr. Udi Levi, who was the Mossad official charged with fighting the funding of terror until 2016. "That was part of Israel's policy to buy quiet.
Hamas demanded that the $30 million per month would be delivered directly to the ruling faction. It was naïve to believe Hamas would provide the money to the population in Gaza."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the government of Qatar to continue the transfer of money to Gaza, in a secret letter sent to the Qatari leadership in 2018 and only seen by a handful of people since. In the letter, Netanyahu explained that the funding would reduce the motivation of terror groups there to carry out attacks, would prevent a humanitarian crisis and was vital for preserving regional stability.
The funding deal is one reason why many Israelis today place part of the blame for the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Netanyahu personally.
Many people believe that allowing the payments made Hamas stronger and, ultimately, made the brutal attacks worse.
“The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud) Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from,” wrote Tal Schneider in an opinion piece in the Times of Israel on October 8, a day after Hamas’ devastating attack.
Gilad, the former Israeli defense official, said he was among those to argue against allowing money to reach Hamas, saying the permitted cash flow over the years was a “dramatic, tragic mistake.”
With the funds, “they could take care of the population. They could take care of the military enhancement, and build up their capabilities,” Gilad said.
Criticism of Netanyahu among Israelis soared after the attack of October the 7th, with many blaming the prime minister for failing to prevent it.
Israel needs to look into its own mistakes before and on October 7, but Western countries also share blame. Hamas has support from Qatar, which is a key ally of the US, and is also connected to other Western nations. Turkey, a NATO member, supports Hamas too. This means that two of the West's important allies in the Middle East are linked to Hamas. How could Hamas plan such a large attack on Jews in one day since the Holocaust while being supported by Western allies? How did these allies not know about the plans for October 7?
References: -National Association of Scholars. -Amnesty International. -Freedom House. -Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). -The Times of Israel. -Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy. -Fikra Forum, an initiative of the Washington Institute. -Jewish News Syndicate. -The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR). -Human Rights Watch.
-Ariel Admoni, a PhD student in Middle Eastern studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. -Jerusalem Post. -Ynet News Israel. -CNN.
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