The White House is increasing pressure on Doha.
The White House is increasing pressure on Doha.
By Yiğit Saner
A report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN on Sunday night caused a stir: “Top-level HAMAS officials have recently moved from Qatar to Türkiye”. KAN based its claims on diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv. Soon after, unnamed diplomatic sources speaking to The Times of Israel, an Arab diplomat downplayed the significance of the alleged change. The diplomat argued that “HAMAS’s leaders abroad already spend most of their time in Türkiye when not holding meetings in Qatar”.
Later on the same day, Turkish diplomatic sources denied the claims of a relocation of HAMAS leaders stating that HAMAS leaders visit Türkiye occasionally. The final word came from HAMAS itself: “This is nothing more than baseless claims of Israel”.
Intense hours
Rewind to November 9: Numerous outlets referring to various sources claimed that Qatar would withdraw from Gaza ceasefire negotiations and expel HAMAS from Doha. Following these reports, a diplomatic source told Israeli media that “If Qatar is no longer mediating in the negotiations, there’s no reason for HAMAS to remain in the country”. While HAMAS and Doha dismissed the claims as false soon after, Qatar simultaneously suspended its mediator status in ceasefire talks.
“In any capital of our allies”
Let’s go further back. In the first week of November, leading US Senators submitted a letter to government agencies with several demands concerning HAMAS. One thing in the letter closely concerns Türkiye: The senators asked Qatar to be informed that HAMAS leaders “would no longer be welcome in any capitals of the US’s allies”. The letter also called for the extradition of former HAMAS Political Bureau Chief Khaled Meshaal to the US, freezing of HAMAS officials’ assets in Qatar and urged action against the group’s remaining leadership until total eradication.
October 2023
The White House, after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation October 7, 2023, informed Qatar that “business as usual” with HAMAS was no longer viable. However, the Biden administration refrained from demanding HAMAS’s office closure at the time because as it needed on Doha’s mediation and close communication with HAMAS leadership for a hostage deal. Over time, with the developments regarding hostages and HAMAS resisting the impositions of Biden and Netanyahu, Washington began pressuring Qatar by summer to expel the HAMAS.
By September, American officials were discreetly hinting that the White House had decided HAMAS’s presence in Doha was “neither viable nor acceptable”. According to officials, this demand was delivered to HAMAS leaderships by Doha around mid-October.
The lame duck’s final moves
It is not the first time that claims that Qatar had already quietly expelled HAMAS appeared. Some claim that the group’s leaders relocated to Türkiye in April. Allegedly, the US demanded them to go back to Doha after attempts at hostage negotiations failed. These leaked to the press in May, but HAMAS denied.
As seen, the issue is far from resolved. Qatar appears to be nearing a breaking point amidst the ongoing conflict. Pressure will likely persist, at least until Trump comes into the office. The lame duck administration cannot secure a ceasefire, but it certainly has the motivation to escalate tensions further.