Ariel Admoni
Jerusalem Post, Apr. 13, 2024
“Equally at ease with Islamist and secular parties, with liberals and conservatives, Qatar is using its status and various relations with opposing sides to influence the region.”
At the end of October 2023, the Qatari ambassador to the United States presented his state as a “reliable mediator” due to Doha’s extensive efforts to mediate between various players in the Middle East, while maintaining declared neutrality that supposedly ensured fair and reliable negotiations.
The mediator role earned Qatar both praise and scrutiny. The latter caused Qatari officials to explain: “Dialogue shouldn’t be confused with endorsement. We talk to different groups because we believe that open channels of communication are the only way to build trust and resolve differences.”
But Qatar is far from being a fair mediator between Israel and Hamas. In May 2021, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha. According to the official statement, the emir reiterated “Qatar’s support to the brotherly Palestinian people and their just cause.”
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