Two-faced Qatar is Israel's greatest enemy, not Iran

Qatar has carefully built a reputation as a neutral mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian war, hosting ceasefire talks and funding humanitarian efforts. However, beneath this diplomatic facade lies a starkly different reality. The emirate’s actions, from state-run media to educational programs, reveal a pattern of anti-Israel incitement and support for groups like Hamas, exposing its mediation role as a cover for a deeply anti-Israel agenda. A recent report from the Middle East Media Research Institute on Qatar’s government-backed summer camps highlights this hypocrisy, showing how Qatar promotes narratives that erase Israel’s existence while fostering hostility toward the “Zionist entity.”

The Peacemaker Facade: Qatar’s Diplomatic Maneuvering

Qatar has positioned itself as a key player in Middle East diplomacy, mediating between Israel and Hamas, including talks following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Doha hosts Hamas leaders like Ismail Haniya and has poured billions into Gaza, framed as humanitarian aid. This role allows Qatar to project neutrality, earning praise from Western allies like the United States, which relies on Qatar’s Al-Udeid airbase for military operations. Qatar’s hosting of American universities and cultural initiatives further paints it as a progressive, Western-aligned state.

Yet, this image falls apart under closer inspection. Qatar’s mediation often serves its own interests, maintaining influence over both Hamas and Israel while keeping favor with the U.S. Its funding of Gaza, while presented as humanitarian, has been criticized for enabling Hamas’s military buildup, as the group controls aid distribution. Posts on X have called out this contradiction, with users like @AvivaKlompas noting the irony of Qatar condemning Israel while sheltering Hamas leaders holding Israeli hostages. Qatar’s mediation appears less about impartiality and more about securing regional leverage, keeping Hamas viable without directly challenging Israel or its Western allies.

Qatar reportedly told Hamas to refuse a recent hostage deal. In fact, they are so powerful that they could end the war this minute if they wanted to, by telling Hamas to return the hostages and lay down its weapons. They could also kick Hamas' senior leadership out of their cushy Doha lodgings.

Anti-Israel Incitement: Qatar’s True Colors

Qatar’s state-controlled media and educational systems tell a story of unrelenting hostility toward Israel. The MEMRI report on summer camps, sponsored by Qatar’s Ministry of Sports and Youth, reveals activities promoting a map of “Palestine from the river to the sea,” erasing Israel and claiming cities like Haifa and Jaffa as Palestinian. These camps, aimed at children, feature slogans like “There Is No Israel” and “The Zionist Entity Is an Enemy,” cultivating a generation steeped in anti-Israel ideology. This is just one example of Qatar’s extremely anti-Israel education system, which promotes antisemitic tropes and glorifies jihad and martyrdom.

Qatar’s media, including government dailies like Al-Sharq and Al-Watan, consistently praise Hamas’s October 7 attack as “heroic” and “historic,” framing it as a step toward “liberating Palestine.” Columnists like Abdullah Al-Amadi have called for more such attacks, describing Israel as a “Zionist-Crusader enterprise” that must be eliminated.

And let's not forget Al Jazeera, which Qatar owns. Although it projects moderation in its English content, when you read the Arabic version, you see a totally different story, glorifying Hamas leaders and justifying violence against Israel. Even Qatar’s children’s magazine *Jassim* has joined in, publishing comics and poems since October 7 that endorse terror, depict Jews as enemies, and deny Israel’s right to exist.

In fact, Al Jazeera is so vicious that Israel has banned it a few times, which it hasn't done to other anti-state, government and Netanyahu news sites (Yes, I'm talking about Haaretz).

This incitement goes beyond words. Qatar’s funding of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, based in Doha, promotes jihad and celebrates attacks like the May 2025 shooting of Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., as heroic. These actions clash with Qatar’s public gestures, like hosting Israeli athletes in 2019, which sparked outrage among its own media and religious figures who condemned any normalization with Israel as a betrayal.

The Hypocrisy Unmasked: Qatar’s Balancing Act

Qatar’s ability to play both mediator and instigator relies on strategic duplicity. By hosting Hamas leaders and funding their operations, Qatar maintains influence over Palestinian factions while using its mediation role to deflect Western criticism. This duality was clear in 2019 when Qatar allowed Israeli participation in the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup but faced backlash from its own press and clerics, revealing discomfort with even token normalization. Qatar’s alignment with Iran, seen in its warm reception of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in 2024, further signals its anti-Israel stance, undermining its neutral image.

The contradiction is undeniable: Qatar mediates ceasefire talks while its media and education systems glorify the violence it claims to curb. This hypocrisy has drawn criticism from observers on X, like @mo_free_nig, who accused Qatar of secretly arming Israel during the Gaza conflict while deceiving Hamas to gain Western favor. Though unverified, such claims reflect growing distrust of Qatar’s intentions. Even within the Arab world, Qatar’s support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood has strained ties with countries like Egypt, which see its actions as destabilizing.

Why Qatar’s Duplicity Matters

Qatar’s double game has serious consequences. First, it erodes the credibility of ceasefire negotiations, as a mediator backing one side cannot broker fair deals. Israel’s reliance on Qatar for Gaza aid risks empowering Hamas, which diverts supplies to sustain its fight against Israeli forces. Second, Qatar’s promotion of antisemitic and anti-Israel narratives fuels regional instability, radicalizing youth and legitimizing violence. The summer camps are not mere propaganda; they are a deliberate effort to shape future generations’ hostility toward Israel.

Finally, Qatar’s actions expose a broader failure of Western policy to hold the emirate accountable. The U.S.’s continued presence at Al-Udeid and Israel’s acceptance of Qatar’s role in Gaza suggest a pragmatic tolerance of its behavior, despite evidence of its support for terrorism. This leniency risks encouraging Qatar to escalate its anti-Israel activities, potentially destabilizing the region further.

Until the international community confronts this hypocrisy, and demands transparency and accountability, Qatar will continue to play both sides, jeopardizing instability while hiding behind the mask of peacemaking.

Sadly, it seems that all it takes to convince the world of Qatar's 'generosity' and 'kindness' towards Israel, is money. That's how they allegedly bought and paid a senior Netanyahu aide, Yonatan Urich, to sell pro-Qatar messaging to the world. It's the same deep pockets that pay millions to US universities to quietly, insidiously educate the next generation about the evil that is Israel. Don't drink the kool-aid.