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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
/
Why Qatar is unlikely to withdraw from the Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks
Analysis by Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN
Updated:
9:46 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
Source: CNN
The Arab nation of Qatar’s declaration this week that it is as the
key mediator between Israel and Hamas amounted to a public declaration
of frustration at criticism of its ties to the Palestinian militant
group.
Qatar’s mediation efforts are being misused for “narrow political
interests” by some involved in the conflict, Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
said Wednesday, “which required the State of Qatar to conduct a
comprehensive evaluation” of its mediation role.
“There are limits to this role, and limits to our ability to
constructively participate in these negotiations,” Al Thani told a
news conference in Doha, adding that his country is forced to do this
despite hostage-ceasefire talks being at a “sensitive and delicate
stage.”
But analysts say the Gulf state is unlikely to completely pull back
from the talks.
A close ally of the United States, Qatar has been coordinating with
Washington and Egypt to secure the release of the more than Israeli 100
hostages in Gaza, as well as end in the territory.
Qatar has come under criticism from Israel and its allies in the United
States Congress, who have accused the Gulf state of being too close to
the militant organization, and even of negotiation progress. Doha has
repeatedly pushed back against the accusations since the onset of the
conflict.
say that Qatar is the only interlocutor capable of delivering a deal
due to its ties with Hamas and alliance with the US. Qatar hosts
Hamas’ political office, but it is also home to a 10,000-troop US
military base.
Experts say it is unlikely Qatar will end its mediation role.
“I think that they will try and help, and try and mediate, as long as
they can,” said Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst at the
Brussels-based International Crisis Group think tank, adding that Qatar
is however concerned about the criticism from US politicians.
“They’ve had to confront it for a while,” Jacobs told CNN.
Daniel Shek, a former Israeli diplomat, said he is doubtful that Qatar
will retreat from the role. “I think they are actually enjoying the
spotlight,” Shek told the Israel news outlet , adding that while
there are other players that can mediate, Qatar has “the best
position to play in this negotiation.”
Qatar has maintained a relationship with Hamas since 2012, after
falling out with some of its Arab neighbors for supporting protesters
seeking to overthrow the regimes in several Arab nations during the
Arab Spring.
While American and Israeli politicians have been raising criticisms of
Qatar since the start of the October 7 war, the Gulf state this week
appeared to have had enough, accusing some politicians of capitalizing
on the conflict to prop up electoral campaigning at home.
“We are seeing political bidding by some politicians, with narrow
political gains, who are waging their electoral campaigns by offending
Qatar’s role,” Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
“This is completely unacceptable, for us to be told things in closed
meetings and then for statements to be made that are damaging and
unhelpful,” the prime minister said.
Questioning Qatar’s role
Israel has been questioning Qatar’s role in the talks for months. In
a leaked audio from January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was
heard saying that Doha’s role was “.” Majid Al Ansari, the Qatari
foreign ministry spokesman, said his government was “appalled” by
the comment and accused Netanyahu of “obstructing and undermining the
mediation process for reasons that appear to serve his political
career.”
On April 8, James Comer, the Republican chair of the US House of
Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Accountability to
Attorney General Merrick Garland, alleging that Qatar paid Hamas “$30
million per month since 2018.”
“Qatar does not pay Hamas,” the Qatari embassy in Washington DC the
next day, adding that “misinformation” is unhelpful to the
negotiations.
And on Monday, Democratic US Congressman accused Qatar of
“blocking” progress in the talks.
Jacobs says that it is important to note which American politicians
are voicing the criticism, adding that “many in Washington see the
value of the Hamas relationship (with Qatar) and feel that if Qatar
ended its role, then that would be harmful and not helpful.”
thanked Qatar for helping reach a humanitarian pause that allowed the
of some hostages.
Qatar is one of the closest US allies in the Gulf region. It is home to
the Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest US military installation in the
region and which houses more than 10,000 American troops. the US
quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence at a
sprawling base in Qatar for another 10 years. The Gulf state was also a
Major Non-NATO Ally, as well as key energy supplier to Western states.
And despite coming under fire for sending hundreds of millions of
dollars in aid to Hamas-governed Gaza over the years, it had done so
with Israel’s blessing, and with the knowledge of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN previously reported.
The Qatari prime minister’s decision to evaluate the country’s role
in the talks is seen as “more of a way to highlight that they are
frustrated with that criticism,” Jacobs said.
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