In a Shift, Qatar Plays Central Role in Stabilizing Israeli-Palestinian Ties
Khalifa al-Kuwari, second right, director of the Qatar Fund for Development, cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of new Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Hospital, on Monday
Qatar has begun playing a key role in stabilizing the West Bank and Gaza in recent weeks, while growing closer to Egypt and the United States.
Among the stabilizing measures were the Qatari emissary’s efforts to ensure that clashes on Land Day in March did not spread to the Gaza Strip. In addition, two weeks ago, in the midst of a tense month of Ramadan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held two phone conversations, one with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the other with the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, calling on both to prevent an escalation.
The recent steps of the small emirate, one of the 10 wealthiest countries in the world, come on top of the financial aid it has been providing to the Palestinian territories, which adds up to $3 billion over the past decade, according to figures obtained by Haaretz.
According to Qatari sources, out of about $1.5 billion that Qatar invested in the Gaza Strip, approximately half went to infrastructure projects and about half a billion dollars went toward so-called “welfare areas.” About $9 million was transferred via the United Nations to support orphans from Operation Protective Edge, to build fuel tanks for the electricity plant in Gaza, to expand the Yarmuk soccer stadium and to build two veterinary centers in Beit Lahia.
In recent years, Qatar has funded projects in infrastructure, health and education through the United Nations with Israel’s approval. One such project is a workshop for advanced electronic prostheses, inaugurated about a month ago at the Sheikh Hamad Al Thani Hospital in Gaza, named after the former Qatari emir. The prostheses are meant to allow amputees to move their artificial limbs in a more natural way. At a press conference, representatives of the Qatar Fund for Development, which funded the entire hospital at a cost of about $17 million, said that in a few weeks about 40 Palestinians would be able to avail themselves of the workshop’s services. “These projects give hope to the younger generation in Gaza and ease their integration into society,” an anonymous source was quoted as saying in reports of the event.
Qatar has become closer to Egypt, which is leading efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip. “Israel understands that Qatar can help solve the Gaza issue and lead to a calming of the situation,” an Israeli official said. With regard to Qatar’s increasing closeness to Iran, the official said: “The times of black and white are over. Today someone can help your adversary but also simultaneously help you promote your interests.”
Israel has for years had a complex, under-the-radar relationship with Qatar. Foreign Ministry, Mossad and Defense Ministry officials have held dialogues with their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, and various economic ties have been forged. Senior Israelis have visited Qatar more than once, mostly in secret, and the leaders of both countries have exchanged direct messages. Although there are no official ties between the countries, in recent years Qatar has allowed Israeli athletes to participate in competitions held there, and in November many Israelis are expected to visit Qatar for the first time to attend the World Cup soccer games.
It might surprise many Israelis to learn that most of the Qatari financial aid to the Palestinians, $1.65 billion, went to the West Bank, not the Gaza Strip. The severe economic crisis in the Palestinian Authority, along with a sharp drop in donations from Western countries, have made Qatar a key source of funding for the PA and a major player in ensuring stability. Thus it has transferred about half a billion dollars to promote educational and health projects, along with $25 million going mainly to student scholarships at Bir Zeit University and about $6 million for purchase of necessary COVID-related equipment. Some of the Qatari assistance is defined as “support for the Authority budget.”
The Israeli public is familiar with the suitcases full of cash that Qatar used to transfer tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian Authority announced it would no longer pay the salaries of Hamas officials in the Strip. This sparked sharp criticism in Israel, after which the government banned the practice. But Qatar still pays these salaries by alternative means, purchasing and transferring Egyptian fuel that Hamas can then sell, and helping the poor through Egypt and United Nations. As long as defeating Hamas is not on the agenda, Israel prefers to maintain this situation, on the assumption that channeling money to the Gaza Strip will help prevent clashes.
Qatar, with a population of about 2.8 million, has two assets that make it a major regional influence: the capital derived from its oil and natural gas reserves and the Al Jazeera network, viewed by some 150 million people worldwide. The network, which broadcasts in Arabic and English, is critical of and hostile to Israel. As reported in Haaretz, in recent weeks Israeli officials have asked Qatar to tone down reporting on the channel about clashes on the Temple Mount, which politicians in Israel see as incitement.
In an unusual step, Defense Minister Benny Gantz in August disclosed the dialogue between the two countries, publicly praising the Qatari leadership for its cooperation in transferring money to the Gaza Strip. “I would like to thank Qatar for taking a positive role in the region,” he said in a video he posted. “We have decided to change and improve the transfer of Qatar’s humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of the Strip to ensure that the money reaches the people who really need it. To that end, I have been in contact with officials in Qatar who understand Israeli needs, and I thank them for this,” Gantz added.
Israel sees Qatar’s increased involvement in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as part of a larger shift. The country that supported the Muslim Brotherhood – and which for years hosted its spiritual leader, Yusuf al-Qaradawi and was accused of helping strengthen Hamas – has most recently been working recently to improve its ties with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
“The Qataris now want to be in a better relationship with everyone,” an Israeli official said, adding, “Their perspective is that they want to help everyone, because conflict helps no one.” According to the official, “The investment in the Muslim Brotherhood helped Qatar to position itself in the region. From Qatar’s point of view, they didn’t invest money in various extremist groups to support terror, but rather to maintain dialogue with and moderate them.”
Ties between Qatar and Egypt began to deteriorate with the 2013 ousting of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the rise to power of the current president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi. In 2017, Egypt and its allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a boycott against Qatar, which had been accused of supporting terror and partnership with Iran.
In January 2021, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced the reinstating of diplomatic ties between the two countries. “The Qataris have come to their senses,” a person familiar with the situation said, adding: “They cut aid to the Muslim Brotherhood and became closer with Egypt.”
Ties between Qatar and the United States have also improved in recent months. The largest American base in the Middle East is in Qatar, which according to various sources has about 10,000 soldiers and serves the United States Army as a base for aerial assaults in the region. Qatar also played an important part in the American withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer: Using the connections it had with the Taliban, it mediated between the Taliban and officials in the United States, and these contacts allowed the rapid and relatively quiet withdrawal of American forces and the extraction of thousands of U.S. citizens and allies who were in danger.
The gratitude was not long in coming: When the emir of Qatar, Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, visited Washington in January, President Joe Biden announced the raising of Qatar’s status to a “major non-NATO ally.” This is a special status reserved for strategic partners of the United States, and one that grants these countries military and economic benefits, although without a mutual defense agreement.
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