Qatar did what the United States and Israel requested. The missiles came anyway

On October 7, 2023, many of the world learned for the first time that Hamas leaders lived in an air-conditioned comfort, 2000 km from Gaza-Daeifa in Qatari Prince Tialm bin Hamad Thani.

Hamas leader Ismail Hani was still in Qatar when he learned that Israel had killed three of his sons and four grandchildren in a blow in Gaza. Israel was also killing him in the end. But he waited for him to visit Tehran in July 2024 before hitting a missile.

“It is one thing for Israel to target Hamas, for example, Iran and elsewhere.” “But Qatar is a major ally of the United States.”

But Israel finally struck this leading American ally on Tuesday when The headquarters of the political leadership targeted Hamas In its capital, Doha.

The condemnation of the attack in Western capitals focused on the place targeted by the Israeli, not, who are targeting the Israelis.

Prime Minister Mark Carne And invite her “Unbearable expansion of violence and insulting the sovereignty of Qatar.”

White House spokesman Caroline Levitte said that US President Donald Trump “is very highly felt the site of this attack.”

Strange strangest in a small diameter

Hamas is not the only foreign guests in Qatar, a country of only 300,000 citizens, numbering 10-1 by non-Qatari population and guest workers.

A few minutes’ drive from hotels and villas that include Hamas leaders is the air base, which is the home of the US Army’s central command.

Thomas Juno, an expert in the Middle East Policy at the University of Ottawa and a frequent visitor to the country, said that Qatar had completed years ago that “the best way to ensure its security to make itself indispensable.”

This is the reason why the country chose to take over the mediator’s role “not only between Israel and Hamas, however With other conflicts also.”

CBC News asked the Qatar embassy after the October 7 attacks why the country was hosting the Hamas leadership.

“The Hamas office has been used in Doha … from the beginning as a communication channel and a means to bring peace to the region and this is in coordination with our Western allies, especially the United States,” the embassy answered in a statement.

“When the Hamas office was opened in Qatar several years ago, this was done with very explicit support from the United States and Israel. This was not done against their desires,” Juno said.

Even after the October 7 attack, the Biden administration publicly did not pressure Qatar to expel Hamas leaders, and the Qataris continued to play the host and the mediator in Hamas without protesting the Trump administration.

Carney chanted the feelings that the country plays a stable role, saying that Israel’s strikes on Doha “showcase the efforts directly to push peace and security, secure the release of all hostages and achieve a permanent ceasefire” – and that Emile Qatar “plays a major role.”

Qatar has already played a major role in Israeli hostages negotiations – within 48 hours of Hamas’s assault on southern Israel until now.

This week, the second pressed Hamas to accept the last ceasefire proposal, according to L. Israeli media.

Bagman Lentianho

Israel’s relations with Qatar were strange from Washington, due to the policy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kadtia, in the end, Supporting the rule of the extremist group in Gaza In order to prevent any movement towards a two -state solution.

When Hamas on the ropes was financially in 2018, the Qatari envoy Mohamed El -Esta appeared with bags full of millions of dollars in money to save today. Outside of opposition to this step, Israel was closely cooperated with Qatar to achieve this, including meetings in Cyprus between the main ministers in the two governments.

Netanyahu also sent security officials to Doha to Qatari “begging” To continue sending money to Hamas, according to his angry conviction by Minister Al -Saqour, Avigdor Lieberman.

Juno said: “Netanyahu explicitly allowed Qatar to pay civil service salaries, for example, in Gaza before October 2023.” “Netanyahu also allowed Qatar to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip before October 2023.”

The Palestinian Authority and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemned Israel and Qatar by supporting them for their support for Hamas, accusing them of seeking to support an illegal group in order to undermine the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, which committed a solution from the two countries.

What happens after that?

Experts say that Israel’s sudden attack is certainly causing the Qatar -ruling family to wonder whether its strategy is that it is intermediate in the world makes it safer.

“The Qataris look at the United States and say,” Well, what does this mean for your commitment to our security? “The same question is asked by other Gulf states.”

Juno said: “One of the options is that Qatar is walking away from the role of mediation, specifically with regard to Hamas,” which could lead the Hamas leadership to move to Turkey or Iran – a result “that will eventually make negotiations and inevitable more inevitable.”

But while this may not help Israel restore its hostages, it can serve Netanyahu’s short -term political goals.

Juno said: “His ruling alliance includes the right -wing political parties that were very clear that he was eventually a sustainable ceasefire with Hamas, after which Hamas will remain, they will leave the government,” Juno said.

“It is completely possible for Netanyahu to look at negotiations that are not an end in itself, but as a way to ensure his political survival – without any serious intention to see them succeed in any way.”

Nader Hashemi, who is studying the Middle East policy at Georgetown University in Washington, notes, notes Nader Hashemi, who studies the Middle East policy at Georgetown University in Washington Netanyahu’s declared goal of opposing Gaza.

Hashemi said: “You have a diplomatic settlement calling for a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages, and this does not advance this broader goal that Netanyahu adheres to,” Hashemi said. “So you kill my peace negotiators.”