Doha- An official familiar with the Qatari government’s assessment said the closure of Hamas’s political office in Doha could be part of a broader review of the state’s mediating role in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Many indicators show that Qatar is moving to abandon mediation and remove its hand from Hamas, and among these indicators it was hoped that the mediator’s role would protect it from the wrath of the pro-Israel lobby in Israel and the United States, but this has not materialized and Doha has come under heavy criticism and at times the threat of economic sanctions. Free the Israeli prisoners and stop disrupting the ceasefire talks.
The Qataris feel they are in a difficult situation because they are accused of funding and not pressuring Hamas, which puts them on the cusp of US sanctions against movements classified by the US as terrorist groups, such as Hamas.
But Hamas itself is deliberately trying to confuse Qatar and make it helpless. The movement rejects Qatar’s attempts to respond to the peace proposals put forward by the US, particularly the last proposal described as “very generous”, whose rejection has no bearing on Hamas embarrassing Doha in front of the Americans.
Despite American support for the latest proposal, Hamas has been deliberately slow to respond. The delay suggests the movement is sending a message to certain parties in Doha to reassure them that Hamas is still in control of its decision and will not make concessions to serve any other party, even if it is Qatar. It hosts the leadership of the movement and provides opportunities for regular media appearances.
The official told Reuters that Qatar is considering whether to allow Hamas to continue running the political office and is in a broader review to consider continuing mediation in the nearly seven-month-old conflict.
Last month, Qatar said it was reconsidering its mediation role in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.
The official, who did not want to be named, said that if Qatar does not play a mediating role, it would make no sense to have Hamas’ political office there, so this is part of the reassessment.
The official said he did not know if Qatar would ask Hamas to leave Doha if the Qatari government decided to close the movement’s office. However, he said the review of Qatar’s contribution would be influenced by how Israel and Hamas behaved during the ongoing negotiations.
An Israeli official said on Saturday that the Hamas movement was “blocking the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement” by insisting on its demand for an end to the fighting in Gaza.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “Within the framework of the prisoner exchange agreement, Israel will allow mediators to ensure an end to hostilities or information that Israel has agreed to. Inaccurate.” Until now, Hamas has not abandoned its demand to end the war, thereby blocking the possibility of reaching an agreement on a peace proposal seven months after the fighting broke out in the Gaza Strip. Washington has told Doha to expel Hamas if the movement continues to reject a cease-fire agreement with Israel, an unnamed US official said. The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing the official.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of Qatar for not pressuring Hamas to release prisoners echoed in US decision-making circles. It warns that Americans will reevaluate their relationship with it.
Congressman Steny Hoyer threatened Monday to renegotiate U.S. ties with Qatar if Doha does not pressure Hamas to release Israeli prisoners.
The democratic representative said Qatar should inform Hamas that there will be “repercussions” if the movement continues to obstruct “the release of hostages and the achievement of a temporary ceasefire”.
In a quick response to these threats that reflected the general mood among US politicians, including those of President Joe Biden, Hoyer’s comments were “unconstructive” and that “Qatar is just a mediator” that does not limit Israel or the insurgency. They alone are responsible for reaching an agreement,” he said.
Doha did not seek to defend Hamas’s position, which it advertised in its media to garner sympathy from Hamas and Brotherhood supporters, but instead sought to distance itself from the movement and its activities, and said it would only fulfill its role as a mediator. In 2012 at the request of the United States.
Qatar has hosted Hamas’ political office since 2012 as part of an agreement with the United States.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, lives in Doha and has traveled frequently, including to Turkey, since the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
