Qatar is home to an airbase that is essential to American operations in the Middle East and, as of this year, it is an officially designated U.S. non-NATO ally. But Doha is also a key financial backer of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, maintains ties with the Taliban, and owns and operates Al Jazeera, a major source of anti-Semitic and anti-American propaganda in the Middle East. President Biden recently thanked the peninsular emirate for its role in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. But this role conceals something more sinister, as Hussain Abdul-Hussain explains:
In an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic, Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, tied himself into knots while seeking to explain the contradictions of Doha’s foreign policy. First, he took credit for the ceasefire, saying that Qatar communicated with all parties involved, including “Palestinian factions in Gaza.” He paused, then added, “and with the Israeli side, also.” Ansari was clearly reluctant to admit any interaction with the Jewish state, likely because Al Jazeera and other Qatari organs spend so much time condemning those Arabs who prefer normal relations with Israel to perennial hostility.
One way for Doha to iron out the contradictions in its foreign policy is to broadcast different messages to Arabic speakers and English speakers. Accordingly, when Al Jazeera English played clips of Ansari’s interview, it left out his denunciations of Israel, while letting him boast of Qatar’s role as peacemaker.
At other times, the network simply veers into blood-libel territory. One tweet asked, “What are the roots of the genocidal Zionist doctrine?” It linked to an article on that subject that quotes violent passages from the Bible and claims the Zionist movement applies them directly to Palestinians. The article was not an exception.
Qatar simply speaks from both sides of its mouth and expects global accolades for its troubled thinking and troublemaking behavior. If Washington wants to prevent further conflict in Gaza, it should let Doha know the game is up.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-715303