Family members of some hostages held captive by Hamas since the October 7 atrocities have been receiving advise from people and entities funded by Qatar in their campaign to call advocate for and promote the release of the Israelis from their captivity in Gaza, Politico said on Thursday.
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The report names Jay Footlik who is a consultant for the Qataris who has met with the family members in Israel and in the U.S. to prepare them before meeting with Qatari officials. His consulting firm ThirdCircle Inc. has been registered under FARA since 2019, to assist the Qatari embassy in Washington in arranging trips for Americans to the Gulf Nation, and receives a monthly retainer of $40,000, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Footlik who served as a special assistant to President Clinton and was a liaison to the Jewish community said he began working with the families at the request of Eytan Stibbe, an Israeli businessman who has been helping the families in their efforts to bring about a release of their loved ones. The two met when Stibbe asked for Footlik's help and contacts in Qatar.
"I’m proud of the work that I’m doing. If it saves even one life, it’s all worth it,” Footlik told Politico. “The Qataris have been instrumental in working with the U.S., the Israelis and others to secure the release of the first 109 to come out, and I think it’s natural to come back to ask them to continue to use their relationships to try to bring everybody home.”
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Israeli business tycoon Eytan Stibbe (center) during a meeting relatives of hostages had with UN Sec. Gen. Antonio Guterres in New York
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According to the report, families have also been receiving advice from Mickey Bergman, vice president of Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which also receives Qatari money. He reportedly told the distraught Israelis not to criticize Qatar in their public statements.
“The Richardson Center is a nonprofit organization and works on behalf of families at their request and at no cost to them. Beginning Oct. 8, we’ve been approached by dozens of families to assist them in getting their loved ones,” Bergman said in an interview, adding that its relationship with Qatar had been disclosed and is “one of the pillars of our strategy about why we can help them.” One of the family members who said Bergman has been helpful to the group added that he was also transparent about the funding to the center.