The infernal Qatari strategy.

ShahdagMountains · Dec 6, 2024

While Donald Trump threatens the enemies of Israel and civilisation, Britain licks their sandals.

If, instead of appeasing Iran and bullying Israel, the Biden administration had told Qatar on October 8 that, unless the hostages were released within 24 hours, Washington would sever all economic, diplomatic and security relations with Doha — and meant that — it’s likely the hostages would have been freed and the horrors of the past year averted.

That’s because Qatar is Hamas. The Gulf state founded it, funded it and, until Trump won the November presidential election, sheltered the men who run it.

Arab states that support the Abraham Accords have repeatedly warned the west against Qatar. In 2017, Dr. Anwar Gargash, then the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs, described Doha as the “main sponsor” of terrorism and a “safe haven” of extremism.

In 2017, Qatar’s behaviour led Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to cut their diplomatic ties with it and impose a blockade on all contact by land, sea and air — a blockade that lasted for three and a half years.

Yet the west refuses to treat Qatar as a godfather of terrorism and an enemy of civilisation. During the past year, the United States has used it instead as an interlocutor with Hamas, treating the emirate as an honest broker in the negotiations to release the hostages.

That’s why there were nauseating scenes in London this week where the red carpet was rolled out for the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tammi bin Hamid al Thani and his wife. Britain put on a grand royal reception for the Qatari ruler, including a horseback procession down The Mall, a visit to Parliament and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Camilla, who has been suffering from pneumonia, struggled from her sickbed to be present. The Princess of Wales, who is still recovering from cancer, also put in an appearance, having pointedly dressed in maroon — the colour of the Qatari flag.