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Anyone with any knowledge of the Middle East was taken aback by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that Qatar is a complex country but not an enemy of Israel.
Let’s begin with the obvious. Qatar has been funding most Sunni terror groups in the Middle East, including the Muslim Brotherhood and various jihadist factions in recent years. The Gulf nation, which the prime minister claims is not an enemy, funded Hamas’ vast arsenal and its underground tunnel network in Gaza. The viper Qatar nourished in its bosom was out of control during the October 7 massacre, but Doha cannot escape responsibility.
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Ismail Haniyeh
( Photo: Dana Kopel, Dalati Nohra / AP, Jacquelyn Martin / AP)
Qatar was a full partner in the atrocities of October 7. It has hosted Hamas' political leadership for years and continues to support the group through daily coverage on Al Jazeera.
It is a particular skill: Qatar funds terrorism that carries out atrocities and then receives global acclaim. How? Simply by using its vast wealth to enlist politicians and the media.
One example came to light in 2013. In December of that year, during the Syrian civil war, the al-Nusra Front—then part of the Syrian al-Qaeda network under the command of current leader Ahmad al-Sharaa—raided the peaceful Christian town of Maaloula, north of Damascus. The jihadists, fully funded by Qatar, declared the residents infidels, burned churches and forced some locals to convert to Islam or be killed.
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Netanyahu aides Eli Feldstein and Jonathan Urich suspected of working for Qatar while serving in the PMO
(Photo: Shaul Golan)
Most of the town’s 3,300 residents fled the rioting Islamists, who went on a killing spree and destroyed statues of Christian saints. A group of Greek Orthodox nuns were among the roughly 50 who remained. The jihadists entered their ancient monastery and abducted 12 of them, taking them to Yabroud, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) away.
As expected, the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera network broadcast the abductors’ messaging, featuring the nuns—then hostages—reciting statements. Al Jazeera reported that the nuns were “guests” being kept under good conditions by their captors. “They were removed from the town for their safety because military forces under President Bashar Assad were endangering their lives in bombing raids.”
Qatar soon stepped in officially to mediate the crisis following repeated requests from the Vatican. After funding the terrorists, Doha now appeared as the savior who would secure the nuns' release. This may sound familiar to some.
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Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa as commander of the Jihadist Al-Qaeda-affiliate al-Nusra Front
By March, a deal was struck with the Assad regime, and the nuns were freed in exchange for the release of 150 women from Syrian jails. The nuns appeared exhausted; one was unable to walk and was carried by a captor. Al-Nusra forced them to express gratitude for the “hospitality and protection” they received.
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Much like the IDF lookouts abducted during the Hamas massacre and held in Gaza, who were forced to thank their captors in Arabic upon their release in January.
The similarities are no coincidence. Following the shocking abduction of the nuns in Syria, Qatar was praised in Arab media for securing their release and even celebrated by some European outlets. Senior Qatari officials were photographed with members of the clergy, smiling as they accepted gratitude—including from Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.
Dr. Yaron Friedman While media and politicians praised Qatar, a reporter for Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya criticized the favorable coverage and the praise heaped on the jihadists' so-called hospitality. But that was only possible through a competing outlet not funded by Qatar.
Just how far has Qatar’s influence extended in the Middle East and the West—thanks to its funding—to ensure positive media coverage? Has it reached Israel as well? That may soon be determined in court.
- Dr. Yaron Freidman is a lecturer and Arabic Instructor in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Haifa