Qatar is a small Persian Gulf state that was a British protectorate until its independence in 1971. One family has ruled there since the 19th century – the Al Thani family. Qatar is an absolute monarchy, exceedingly rich in gas, currently led by Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose family founded Qatar over 180 years ago. In 1972, one year after its independence, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was chosen as the ruler of the country. However, in June 1995, when Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Khalifa (grandfather of the current Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani) traveled to participate in a conference in Saudi Arabia, his son Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (father of the current Emir) prevented him from returning and successfully executed a coup against him. The Emir was overthrown when his plane was prevented from landing at Doha’s airport as ordered by Hamad. According to unofficial sources, the idea for the coup came from his wife, Sheikha Mozah, the mother of the current ruler.
It is worth noting that Qatar was actually the first to open its doors to senior Israeli officials. Shimon Peres, may his memory be a blessing, as Prime Minister, inaugurated the Israeli representation there as early as 1996 – a representation that closed in 2000 with the outbreak of the Second Intifada. However, even after 2000, there were visits by Israeli officials to Qatar, including a visit accompanied by journalists of Peres, then Vice Premier, in 2007. But that 1996 visit was royal, where Peres was received with royal honors – hospitality that did not repeat itself, as will be clarified below.
Reliability: Al Jazeera’s Formula
At the end of the 20th century, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of refugees from Egypt, from the Muslim Brotherhood movement, arrived in Qatar. They were expelled from Egypt or fled due to persecution by the Egyptian authorities, thus sowing the initial seeds of the Muslim Brotherhood movement specifically in Qatar. Qatar, which is inherently small (300,000 residents) and insular, welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood with open arms, shaping its society accordingly. The peak of this support was expressed by granting asylum to what was considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was given a weekly program on Al Jazeera titled “Sharia and Life”. The network, established in 1996, became a sensation in the Arab world. It also broadcasted in English and was seen as a genuine revolutionary force in Arab media. It was perceived as reliable and independent, ostensibly presenting a variety of opinions and criticizing Arab leaders and governments, unlike Qatar itself. Al Jazeera bestowed prestige and honor upon Qatar in the Arab world and was perceived as a network fighting for human rights, democracy, and freedom of expression in the Arab world.
The roots of Qatar’s conflict with the Arab world
With the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011, Al Jazeera hastened to leverage its immense power and crafted a strategy to promote the Muslim Brotherhood in place of the Arab world’s established leaders. Sheikh al-Qaradawi supported young demonstrators in the Arab world and even issued fatwas under his authority calling for the fight against secular regimes and denouncing their leaders, even at the cost of bloodshed and destruction. Riots initially erupted in Tunisia and then spread to Egypt, Syria, and Libya. The pressure exerted by the masses, encouraged by Al Jazeera, led then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign. In subsequent elections, supported by Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi came to power, but he was quickly ousted due to the involvement of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, who demanded that then-Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi depose him. Morsi’s rise alarmed the Arab world and clearly signaled Qatar’s destabilizing influence on Arab states.
Since then, Qatar has been labeled a state supportive of terrorism by its neighbors and has allegedly diverged from a renewed Arab consensus due to its support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its funding of terrorist organizations.
The Succession of the Emir
In June 2013, after 18 years as ruler of Qatar, and reportedly encouraged by his wife Sheikha Mozah, the outgoing Emir transferred the crown to his son Tamim. Rumors suggest he was ill and weakening, and feared that Tamim, his son, might undertake the same kind of coup he himself orchestrated against his father.
Regardless, Tamim inherited a wealthy and powerful state, but one embroiled in conflict with its neighbors due to the Arab Spring and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar’s shaky ties with Israel remained fully behind the scenes and usually surfaced in support for Palestinian issues, or Qatar’s role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza.
How Qatar Became pro-Iran
As mentioned, Al Jazeera was the first to incite, encourage, and support anyone who opposed the secular regimes in Arab countries during the “Arab Spring” – from Egypt to Libya, Syria, and Yemen. The network urged the masses to take to the streets and overthrow their leaders in the name of democracy, human rights, and freedom. It did so through manipulation, spin, and sometimes editing footage to the point of falsification. Al Jazeera fueled protests and fueled the flames of revolution for over a decade, all under the guise of fighting for human rights and democracy. However, four Arab countries that did not agree with this approach imposed a blockade on Qatar. Qatar has only one land border, with Saudi Arabia, which was actually the one to initiate the blockade. In one of its meetings with foreign press, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir detailed his accusations against Qatar, ranging from supporting terrorism to destabilizing the Arab world. However, Turkey and Iran stood by Qatar and assisted in lifting the blockade. Consequently, Qatar fell into the arms of Iran.
In fact, the blockade imposed on Qatar was enforced by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. It began in June 2017 and lasted until January 2021. As mentioned, it was imposed due to Qatar’s meddling and attempts to sow discord among the Arab regimes. The quartet’s goal was to isolate Qatar politically and economically until it capitulated. However, Qatar did not yield to any of the conditions despite the prolonged negotiations. Nevertheless, the repercussions of the blockade continue to affect the Arab world and are felt to this day. The blockade essentially divided the Middle East into fronts. Turkey became a protector of Qatar, along with Iran, against the quartet of states that opposed it. Al Jazeera was also influenced by its proximity to Iran. In effect, Al Jazeera ceased broadcasting actual news and stopped pretending to be an objective body that presents reality. There are many examples of this that are not necessarily related to Israel, such as the lack of coverage of protests against the regime in Iran, or the broadcast of praise for Iran’s Qassem Soleimani, who murdered hundreds of Arabs. All this conclusively proves that Qatar has lost its Arab identity and has become entrenched in the Iranian agenda.
The Iranian stamp of opposition to peace
In January 2020, US President Donald Trump proposed a detailed peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict called the “Deal of the Century”. However, it did not gain acceptance from the Palestinian Authority and certainly not from the Hamas terrorist organization. Qatar supported the Palestinian rejection of this plan. The plan included a series of benefits for the Palestinians, including the establishment of a Palestinian state and development in Gaza.
Despite these advantages, the Palestinian leadership rejected the plan, and Al Jazeera provided suitable ideological justification for their position. Similarly, the Abraham Accords signed initially between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain in September 2020, and subsequently with the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, were rejected by the Palestinians with Qatar’s support. Al Jazeera provided them with a suitable platform to solidify their opposition to the plan. In recent years, Qatar and its media arms have turned into opponents of peace with Israel. Today, Qatar, expressed primarily by Al Jazeera, vehemently opposes any genuine peace between Israel and the Arabs in the Gulf region.
School for the West: Qatar dresses Messi in traditional garb
It is now clear that the World Cup held in Qatar was acquired through corrupt money. The management of the World Cup was also imposed on the organizers. Qatar was not upright; it lied to FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) when it committed to allowing the introduction of hard drinks and also committed not to persecute the homosexual community. However, as the World Cup approached, Qatar changed the rules and unilaterally set other rules. During the World Cup, Qatari security prevented foreign fans from entering stadiums with gay pride flags or hats bearing the flag or other symbols of gays. The whole world witnessed how Qatar canceled the sale of alcohol in many venues, while it claimed to be an Islamic state. In doing so, Qatar exploited the games to impose Islamic values on tourists coming to watch the World Cup.
The World Cup was not only bought with corrupt money, but also with blood. Estimates speak of more than 7,000 workers killed as a result of negligence in building stadiums over the past decade in Qatar. Some argue that beneath the beautiful stadiums lie the bodies of dozens of foreign workers who came from third world countries to work in Qatar but died during their work due to heat, disease and hard labor in conditions in a country where the average temperature rises above 40 degrees all year round and reaches 50 degrees or more with 90% humidity in summer.
The World Cup did very well for Qatar in terms of its standing in the Arab world. Qatar made sure to raise awareness of the Palestinian issue throughout the World Cup, distributing”Palestine” flags to fans, alongside dozens of Sheikhs who preached Islam to foreign tourists. Dozens of videos distributed by Qatar during the World Cup showed support for the Palestinians and tours of mosques, and foreigners who converted to Islam. In light of this, the Arab world was surprised by Qatar’s abilities to promote its Islamic agenda alongside managing one of the West’s iconic images. From the Arab perspective, Qatar has raised the heads of the Arabs, who represented Islam with honor in the West, supported the Palestinian issue, and even fought against the principles opposed to Islamic law, preventing the secular Western-style celebrations.
1.5 million euros found at the home of the President of the European Parliament
During the World Cup in December 2022, four senior Europeans were arrested in Brussels, including then-Deputy to the President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili (a Greek citizen), who was accused of corruption and money laundering. All were accused of receiving Qatari money in exchange for services and favors they provided to Qatar. According to the charges, Kaili attempted to promote legislation in the European Parliament to exempt Qatari citizens from entry permits to Europe. Additionally, weeks before her arrest, Kaili defended Qatar in one of her speeches on human rights in Qatar, stating that it is a country “leading in workers’ rights.” Furthermore, Kaili accused some legislators of discrimination against Qatar, saying, “They accuse anyone who talks to them of corruption.” Either way, Kaili and the arrested officials allegedly sought to promote Qatar’s interests in various ways and methods, according to Belgian authorities.
At Kaili’s home, Belgian police found 1.5 million euros in cash. Her father was also arrested. Kaili is currently under house arrest after spending months in prison and is expected to remain under house arrest until her trial. This serves as a good example to anyone who has underestimated Qatar’s destructive role and its negative influence on the world as a whole.
Qatar promotes terrorism and radicalization
Qatar has consistently supported the Muslim Brotherhood and every Islamic party in close ideological proximity to them. Even before the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in September 2021, Taliban leaders resided in Doha. Qataris hosted and supported them, even serving as their protectors and mediators. Today, Qatar also hosts leaders of Hamas like Ismail Haniyeh and Khalid Mishal, along with other senior members of the Hamas terrorist organization. In addition, Qatar supports the Islamization of the West, constructing mosques in European countries, establishing associations and organizations to combat what it defines as Islamophobia, and simultaneously promoting an Islamic agenda to undermine the interests of Israel and the Western world. Qatar also stands behind the protests that occurred in the US against Israel on American campuses, facilitated through logistics it established and funded. Qatar also does not hesitate to buy politicians and financially supports their candidacies to create loyalty to them, as revealed in a scandal exposed in France, where candidates were funded by Qataris.
In recent years, Qatar’s significant efforts to support the Palestinian issue, especially Hamas, have been exceedingly obvious. For years, Qatar has funded Hamas, sometimes with the approval or consent of the Israeli government, with some of the funds also directed to Gazan residents.
Member of Parliament promises to annihilate the Jews in Israel
While Qatar was the first gulf country to open its doors to Israel and Israelis, today Qatar is a completely different country that supports extreme Islam and the Palestinian issue while actively working against Israel with all its might. Its leaders have transformed in a way that makes evident the political influence of Islam over them. One example can be found in a speech resembling an ISIS worldview delivered by a Qatari parliamentarian when invited to a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo. He incited hatred against Jews, claiming there will be no peace with Jews and that they must be fought in every generation. This speech was marked by extreme religious tones inciting against Jews worldwide and even “promising to annihilate all Jews in Israel.”
During his speech, Al-Ansar emphasized that there is no place for peace or negotiation with “the Zionist entity,” as the doctrine of this entity is inherently based on murder and violence. He stressed that “Israelis are the murderers of the prophets,” and that history and the holy Quran testify to this, asserting that there is no room for peace or negotiation with the occupiers and murderers of the prophets.
Al-Ansar called for continued uprising against the Israeli enemy, emphasizing that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood aims to destroy the corrupt Zionist entity and to teach the Zionists a lesson, declaring that “October 7 is a day of honor and glory for the Arab nation.”
He emphasized that what is happening in “Palestine” marks the beginning of the end for the occupying Israel and added that the Palestinian people’s uprising is legitimate to defend its land and rights, indicating that the uprising has become a duty for every Arab and Muslim. He noted that what Israel is doing in Gaza is not self-defense, as it claims, but rather murder against “the Arab Muslim people.”
Al-Ansar criticized the silence of human rights organizations and international bodies regarding the siege imposed on Gaza, including the cutoff of electricity and water. He noted that “the European Parliament applies double standards to the Arab nation.”
The speech points to the profound change Qatar has undergone in the past decade, manifested in radicalization and Islamization. Moreover, within the current conflict, Qatar exploits its role as a mediator between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization to openly support the organization. In the early months of “Operation Iron Swords,” Qatar was quite active as Israel sought to release some of the captives taken during the October 7 massacre. However, Qatar soon revealed its motives as supportive of terrorism and an improper mediator.
Every week, Al Jazeera broadcasts investigations presenting the Palestinian side as victims of Israel’s merciless regime. The fact that most employees at Al Jazeera are of Palestinian origin lends strong support to incitement. On the morning of October 7, Al Jazeera aired a video showing Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hamas members praying the “Funeral Prayer” following the heinous acts committed by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel. Since that morning, Al Jazeera has broadcast nearly 24-hour news coverage about Israel, expressing unconditional support for Hamas. What’s more concerning is that a non-Arabic speaker cannot distinguish the bias and extremism of the channel, as its English version does not fully align with its Arabic counterpart.
Against the West, the channel attempts to present liberal and legitimate views amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, in Arabic, it supports Hamas and the October 7 massacre while blatantly broadcasting incitement against Israel and anyone who supports it. Even after its expulsion from Israel last month, Al Jazeera continues to broadcast propaganda material from Qatar characterized by demonizing Israel, its military, and Israeli involvement in Gaza, presenting Israel as a conquering force seeking to kill and occupy Palestinians.
The channel airs videos where Hamas targets IDF soldiers to encourage terror activities, degrade Israel, and boost morale among Hamas militants. It helps in producing biased videos of supposedly killed children in Gaza to incite global anti-Israel protests. The channel repeatedly accuses Israel of starving the population in Gaza in order to trigger an investigation by UNRWA [UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees].
Al Jazeera’s obsessive broadcasts against Israel are proving effective: it has managed to condemn Israel globally, even among Israel’s close allies, in addition to garnering condemnation from the UN and supporting the International Criminal Court’s investigation into war crimes in Gaza, largely fueled by Qatar’s fake news. The numerous interests of the United States in Qatar greatly complicate matters for Israel.
Up to a trillion dollars for soft war in the West
In a report published by the International Society for the Study of Antisemitism (ISGAP), it was written that “on December 5, 2023, members of the US House of Representatives questioned the presidents of three prestigious universities in the United States about the funding they received from Qatar. From their responses, it emerged that their Qatari funding does not come directly from the state. However, this is only partially true, as billions of dollars from the United States are allocated through non-governmental organizations owned by Qatar and commercial entities.” According to a project by the organization, “Follow The Money” it emerges that Qatar is the largest foreign donor to universities in the United States. The Islamic ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood permeates all state institutions and has links to the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood – Hamas. It also emerges from reports that money coming from foreign countries like Qatar has a direct influence on increasing antisemitism and anti-democratic activity at universities in the United States.
This report presents how Qatar operates a toolbox for “soft war,” with between half a trillion to a trillion dollars allocated to influence the West, including prestigious universities in the United States.
Thus, Qatar not only supports and funds dozens of research centers and universities in the United States with substantial sums, but also hosts at Al Udeid Air Base near Doha more than 15,000 Marines. In addition, it is clear that Qatar is attempting to financially support politicians there.
In light of this, it seems that Israel should once again reconsider Qatar’s role as a legitimate mediator with a terrorist organization and even officially declare it as a state supporting terrorism.
