U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Qatari officials after arriving in Doha, Qatar, Friday, October 13, 2023.
Jacqueline Martin | Reuters
Qatar is reconsidering its role as ceasefire mediator between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, its prime minister said, expressing concern that Doha’s mediation was being “politically exploited”.
In a statement late WednesdaySheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani “deplored the political exploitation of some politicians with narrow interests who promote their campaigns by maligning Qatar’s role.”
He did not mention any politicians or countries by name but noted that Doha had observed “abuse” of its mediation and “exploitation for narrow political interests” and stressed that Qatar would conduct a “comprehensive review” of its diplomatic stance, but did not Represents a timetable.
Earlier this week, Maryland U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) issue a statement Qatar was urged to “pressure Hamas to accept a reasonable deal” for a temporary truce in exchange for the return of prisoners kidnapped by the Palestinian group in the October 7 terror attack.
Since October, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has been ravaged by Israel’s retaliatory war.
“Hamas is also trying to use its intermediary Qatar – which has a long history of helping finance, support and house terrorist groups – to pressure Israel into making greater concessions. Instead, Qatar needs to make it clear to Hamas that If this continues, it will have the consequences of preventing progress in releasing the hostages and establishing a temporary ceasefire,” Hoyer said.
“If Qatar cannot exert this pressure, the United States must reassess its relationship with Qatar.”
Qatar Embassy in Washington Responding to Hoyer’s comments The statement said Doha’s ability to serve as a mediator “exists only because the United States asked us to play this role in 2012,” adding that “blaming and threatening mediators is not constructive, especially when the targets are friends and non- “Major Power” – a NATO ally that currently has 10,000 U.S. troops and is the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East. “
Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has been a key diplomatic component of Israel’s negotiations with Hamas since October, helping to negotiate a brief stay between November 24 and 30 and the release of more than a hundred hostages. Yet Qatar’s relationship with Hamas – which established a politburo in the Gulf country after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and where Palestinian militant leader Ismail Haniyeh lives – has faced intense scrutiny. In Qatar. Doha denies sponsoring Hamas.
Qatar’s possible withdrawal from the talks comes at a watershed moment for tensions in the Middle East, which were heightened by the first direct attack on Israeli territory on Iranian territory over the weekend. Tehran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night, with the Israeli military claiming to have neutralized 99% of the threat with the support of international allies.
Iran supports Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Syria’s Bashar Assad regime, all of which are hostile to Israel. , an attack that killed several commanders of the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Amid retaliation and urging restraint from international allies, Israel has vowed to “set a price” for Iran’s offensive but has not yet revealed its next steps.
The market is paying attention to the development of the conflict, which may spread to the wider Middle East and have a serious impact on oil prices and international trade. Houthi maritime attacks have delayed or disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
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