Three Republican senators on Tuesday criticized the United States’ “non-NATO major proposed a bill to challenge Qatar’s elite status as an ally. The unprecedented siege of Israel on October 7th.
For decades, Qatar has largely hosted elite Hamas “political” leaders in its capital, Doha, and positioned itself as an intermediary state between global jihadists and the free world. Qatar also served as a “political” base for the Taliban during the two-decade war in Afghanistan, providing a forum for dialogue between Taliban terrorists and the US-backed Afghan government. Doha has provided safe haven to prominent jihadists, but To give permission US troops will maintain a presence in the country that will allow them to plan and organize actions against terrorists in neighboring countries such as Iraq and Syria.
Qatar’s support for Hamas has been a key point of contention in its relations with the United States since October 7. On that day, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and committed a wide range of atrocities against civilians, including torture, gang rape, infanticide, and massacres. They desecrated corpses and filmed many of the terrorist acts and uploaded them to the internet. An estimated 1,200 people were killed that day and another 250 were taken hostage. Qatar has been mediating talks between Hamas, Israel and the United States since the attack.
A child’s tricycle is seen abandoned outside a partially destroyed house in Kisfim, Israel, on November 1, 2023, after Hamas militants attacked this kibbutz near the Gaza border on October 7. . (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“Hamas held five Americans hostage in Gaza for more than six months, killing three civilians believed to have been killed on or shortly after October 7,” said Sen. Ted Budd (R-North Carolina). The body of a man was also detained.” He co-sponsored the bill with Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Said in a statement Tuesday. “Qatar has gone from claiming to have all the influence over Hamas to publicly saying it has no influence and pushing for a ceasefire regardless of the release of the hostages.”
“The status of a major non-NATO ally is a privilege that countries like Qatar must continually earn. “It’s starting to look like we’re helping,” Sen. Budd argued.
Senator Budd’s bill, “Review of Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally Status Act,” I need Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for assessing the value of maintaining Qatar’s status as an ally and the potential risks it poses to U.S. national security. Specifically, the alliance with Qatar is in the interests of the United States and that Qatar does not “directly or indirectly, financially or otherwise, support international terrorism or the acts of foreign terrorist organizations.” Mr. Blinken will be required to prove this.
The bill also asserts to Blinken that Qatar has done everything possible in the form of diplomatic means toward the release of the Hamas hostages on October 7, and that Qatari officials say that “Islamic extremists It also seeks to assert that the organization has agreed to deport or extradite individuals determined to be members to the United States. Hamas. ” Some of those named, including Hamas’ “political” boss Ismail Haniyeh, have notoriously lived in Doha for years.
“If the Secretary of State is unable to make this determination in good faith, the President shall be required to immediately terminate the designation of the State of Qatar as a major non-NATO ally,” the bill states.
Tal Shlomo reaches out to touch a poster with the names and photos of hostages in Gaza on October 21, 2023. (Heidi Levine of The Washington Post via Getty Images).
president joe biden Designated Qatar will become a “major non-NATO ally” in March 2022. Shortly before the designation, then-Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said: Said The designation greatly expands the potential for bilateral cooperation, both military and civilian, and will help the Department of Defense as Qatar assists in the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. This was done in the face of allegations that he was supporting the A Department of Defense report at the time explained: The designation would allow “private companies in these countries to bid on contracts for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of U.S. military equipment.”
“These countries could also enter into training agreements with the United States,” the report said.
In response to the bill, the Qatari embassy in Washington argued that the United States and Qatar had enjoyed a long and successful cooperation despite the threat of a “reckless” downgrade of the relationship.
“Among other things, Qatar quietly and successfully brokered the release of Americans detained in Afghanistan, Iran, and Venezuela,” the embassy said. Said According to the statement: era of israel. “This is a record of successful collaboration based on common interests and commitments. Especially at this delicate time in our region, it would be foolhardy to undermine the partnership America and its allies have carefully built over decades.” is.”
The embassy also noted that talks between Israel and Hamas have led to hostage releases since October 7.
“Qatar’s record as a mediator in the current crisis, with more than 100 hostages freed so far, speaks for itself. We are determined to do everything possible, but Qatar is not just a mediator. “We do not control Hamas or Israel. Ultimately, only Hamas and Israel are responsible for reaching an agreement,” the statement concluded.
