Why is Qatar Playing the Role of Mediator in Israel-Gaza War & What Has it Achieved | EXPLAINED

Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza on Sunday as the war entered its 23rd day killing more than 8,000 Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the war with Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, will be “long and difficult".

While the Israel’s attack on Hamas entered “the second stage" after its ground forces stepped up operations inside the Palestinian territory, a tiny nation in the Middle East holds the key to stop the conflict, which has drawn international condemnation and calls for ceasefire.

Qatar, having good relations with both Western nations and Hamas, has emerged as the key power in efforts to release the hostages seized by the Palestinian militant group from Israel.

The negotiations have also thrust Qatar into a delicate international balancing act as it maintains a relationship with those viewed as militant groups by the West while trying to preserve its close ties with the US.

Qatar’s Relations with Hamas

There is no doubt that Qatar’s sympathies lie with the Palestinians. The Qatari foreign ministry has “solely" blamed Israel for Hamas’s attack and has not once condemned the brutality.

In 2012, as war raged in Syria and Hamas’s leadership opposed the Syrian government, Doha provided it with shelter. Qataris said the decision was taken in coordination with the United States and with the blessing of former US President Barack Obama.

Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political office for more than 10 years, is also respected by the United States, Israel’s chief ally.

Qatar not only offers refuge to Hamas leaders and provides a base to plan and parley with its Iranian patrons, but also gives millions of dollars in foreign aid, pays the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip, provides direct cash transfers to poor families, and offers humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Among officials based in Qatar are Khaled Mashaal, an exiled Hamas member who survived a 1997 Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan and Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ supreme leader.

Qatar’s Relations with West

The West is increasingly using the influence of Qatar, in situations like the Israel-Hamas war as the role of the small oil-rich nation is crucial to the release last month of five Americans held by Iran.

While Qatar hosts Hamas’s political office, it is also respected by the Western nations. French President Emmanuel Macron has lauded the key role played by Qatar in the release by Hamas of two American hostages held since October 7.

The US considers Qatar as a major non-NATO ally and Doha has widening defense trade and security cooperation with America. It is also home to the largest US military base in the region.

The Biden administration has repeatedly praised Qatar for its efforts in working to free the hostages and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Doha during his recent shuttle diplomacy trip in the region.

“Qatar is a longtime partner of ours who is responding to our request, because I think they believe that innocent civilians ought to be freed," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

However, the point of contestation between the Arab nation and the West remains its pan-Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera. The Doha-based channel has aired statements from the late al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden and has been providing nonstop coverage of the toll of Israel’s punishing airstrikes in this war with Hamas, including images of the dead and dying that have fuelled demonstrations across the Middle East and wider world.

Why is Qatar Playing the Role of Mediator?

Qatar has been at the mediation game for more than 20 years. Ever since taking power a decade ago, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has been trying to position Qatar, one of the world’s richest nations with the third-largest gas reserves, as a key player in global geopolitics.

The war between Israel and Hamas has handed Thani an opportunity to attain a profile higher than any other Arab leader in a long time, according to Foreign Policy. Though Saudi and Egypt have also tried mediating the seven-decade-long conflict, no country has been more successful.

Here are some of the instances where the Middle Eastern countries played the role of mediator:

1. The country also mediated between the US and Taliban before the Afghan-based group took power over Kabul in August 2021. Qatar invited the Taliban to open an office in Doha with the approval of the United States, making it possible to negotiate the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
2. It was with Qatar that $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds from South Korean banks was parked pending the release in a hugely complex and sensitive swap deal of the five American citizens held by Iran.
3. Qatar also mediated in an effort to free Ukrainian hostages held by Russia. It also played a role in brokering talks between the US and Nicaragua.
4. In 2008, when Hezbollah took over key infrastructure installations in Lebanon, including the airport and major seaports, it was Qatar that brought the Shiite group and its Western nations to the negotiating table.