Qatar threatens to quit ‘exploited and abused’ Israel-Hamas peace talks
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Qatar has threatened to pull out of peace talks between Israel and Hamas after claiming its role is being “exploited and abused”.
The Gulf state has been helping to mediate ceasefire discussions between the two warring sides along with Egypt and the United States.
Despite breakthroughs that have led to pauses in the fighting and the release of hostages held by Hamas, Israel’s allies have been piling pressure on Tel Aviv to alleviate the suffering of civilians - with the US becoming increasingly frustrated by the situation.
However, Hamas has rejected the last five ceasefire proposals offered by Israel and mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
Speaking on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Abdulrahman al-Thani said the negotiations had become hijacked by certain politicians keen to score points with their supporters.
He said: “Unfortunately, I mean, we have seen that there has been an abuse of this mediation and an abuse of this mediation in favour of narrow political interests.”
“There is exploitation and abuse of the Qatari role,” he added, blaming politicians “who are trying to conduct election campaigns by slighting the State of Qatar.”
Sheikh Mohammed did not identify any politicians by name.
‘Sensitive stage’
Qatar has been seen as key to negotiations between Israel and Hamas, as it serves as the base for Hamas’s political office and is the home of its political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Doha.
However, the abuse of Qatar’s role has meant that it will now call for a “comprehensive evaluation” of its role, Sheikh Mohammed said.
“We are going through a sensitive stage with some stalling, and we are trying as much as possible to address this stalling,” he added.
Though Sheikh Mohammed did not name names, it is widely believed he was taking a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was heard describing Qatar’s mediator role as “problematic” in a leaked audio recording in January.
According to a translation by The Times of Israel, Mr Netanyahu said: “Qatar, from my point of view, is no different in essence than the United Nations … and the Red Cross, [Qatar] is even more problematic.
“I have no illusions about them. They have leverage [over Hamas] … Because [Qatar] funds them.”
Qatar had for years been sending the equivalent of millions of pounds in cash stuffed in suitcases to the Hamas government in Gaza every month before the attacks by its militants on Oct 7.
The payments were approved and facilitated by Mr Netanyahu’s government. He has dismissed claims he helped prop up Hamas as “ridiculous”.
