Benjamin Netanyahu, in a meeting with Israeli detainees in Gaza, described Qatar as “problematic”. According to Israel’s Channel 12, he said, “I did not thank Qatar because it is not fundamentally different from the United Nations or the Red Cross but is more problematic.” Majid Al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denounced Netanyahu’s statements on social media platform X, accusing him of “obstructing Qatari mediation efforts for narrow political motives instead of giving priority to saving lives.”
The leak of Netanyahu’s statement, according to the Israeli media, is aimed at thwarting efforts to reach a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, to complete the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Yossi Cohen, former head of Mossad, described Netanyahu’s attack on Qatar as strange and complicated. He said that Qatar is the only one and active mediator regarding the detainees’ issue. He warned that this statement may lead to a major crisis with Qatar. Doha has hosted the current head of Mossad, David Burnie, and the Director of the American’s Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns. It continued meetings later in Europe and other regions.
In the initial days after the October 7 attack, Doha played a major role in mediating between Israel and Hamas. In its framework of the conflict management policy of reaching a solution, the Qatari diplomacy needs Israel and the United States to reach a settlement of the Israeli detainees in Gaza, and to carry out practical negotiations aimed at providing humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza and seek cessation of hostilities.
Qatari diplomacy did not limit itself to the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but to activities in the settlement of conflicts and international geopolitical tensions, including, for example, the agreement to exchange prisoners between Iran and the United States, and the release of 6 billion dollars of Tehran’s funds frozen in Korea for humanitarian purposes.
It also worked as mediator in other regional and international issues, such as the conflict in Darfur in Sudan, in the Central African Republic and the peace agreement between the governments of Djibouti and Eritrea.
Qatar’s distinguished relationship with the Hamas movement, and its hosting of several of its political leaders, in addition to being the largest donor of aid to the Gaza Strip, was the target of attacks from the Israeli right-wing. Israeli politicians went on to blame it for the attacks of Hamas on the settlements in the Gaza on October 7. Despite this Israeli retaliation, Doha has not given any indication of ending its relations with Hamas.
Since 2012, Qatar has been providing financial aid to the Gaza Strip, of which up to 30 million dollars per month goes to the poor, for the fuel needed to operate the power plants, and for the salaries of civil servants appointed by Hamas after 2007. This is in addition to its financing of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, following previous destruction campaigns carried out by Israel. This funding did not go through secret bank accounts but was carried out in coordination with the Israeli government, specifically with the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu. More than 10 years ago, Netanyahu enabled and encouraged the cumulative flow of about one billion dollars from the State of Qatar, for the relief of the residents of the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged for more than 18 years.
[by Nabhan Kharisha in Al-Quds Al-Arabi]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque