JERUSALEM, Israel – The world appears to be counting on the tiny country of Qatar to help negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that could lead to the release of the Israeli hostages held since last October. However, some are questioning whether the country’s ruling family is a reliable partner in the process.
In 2022, the Biden administration designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally.
That designation carries military and economic privileges, as well as what the State Department calls “a powerful symbol of the close relationship with the United States.”
Qatar also hosts CENTCOM, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.
“Qatar is an Islamist sponsor of terrorism. They belong not to the Western bloc, not to the American bloc, but to the opposite, to the Russian Chinese bloc, to Iran,” Yigal Carmon, founder of MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) told CBN News.
Carmon strongly disagrees with the U.S. view of Qatar, calling it a longtime sponsor of Hamas.
“Qatar gave (the U.S.) billions of dollars over the years,” Carmon explained. “They became a tiny empire – military empire. All the missiles to Tel Aviv, all the almost 40,000 weapon-holders, killers. All the drones, all the motorcycle(s), what have you. All their equipment –
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