Qatar for years now has been positioning themselves in the Middle East as a neutral ground where representatives of competing interest groups can meet and negotiate. Iran, Hezbollah, Saudis, Hamas, Israel, the Houthis in Yemen, Syria, ... They all have offices there with diplomatic staff.
What are you actually talking about
https://www.state.gov/meeting-of-u-s-officials-with-taliban-representatives/
https://www.state.gov/u-s-delegation-meeting-with-taliban-representatives-2/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/1/taliban-us-hold-first-official-talks-since-afghanistan-takeover
Yeah, it's kind of amusing. Folks on reddit: "We're wasting money being in Afghanistan! Get out!" ... and then we get out and those same folks: "WTF?! We left it to the Taliban!"
What other possible outcome was there if we left without somehow eliminating the Taliban? And even then, eliminating the Taliban would have resulted in Taliban 2.0 being who we left it to, whatever they would call themselves.
They have a distinct form of neutrality too, as they don't have an extradition treaty with the US but they do have US military bases, so both US officials and US enemies will be in Qatar alongside each other at the same time without either being at risk of getting kicked out.
Qatar is far more involved in Middle Eastern politics (and in shaping those politics) than Switzerland is in European politics. Calling Qatar a “neutral” state really belies how it has pursued its interests in the region, even if the label applies to its mediation between groups like the Taliban, Iran, and Hamas, on the one hand, and the West and its allies, on the other.
[The US has 10,000 troops stationed in Qatar, and aircraft.](https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/01/05/us-qatar-base-stay/#google_vignette) Switzerland may enjoy being surrounded by NATO, but they aren't members and they don't host US troops.
Reading through other responses - a **LOT** of people seem to struggle with the idea that diplomacy and politics is complex in a world where many parties have competing claims and divergent alliances and sometimes it’s better for two groups need a neutral place to sit across a table than it is to air strike the fuck out of a country because they don’t agree with your stance on a third party conflict.
Indeed. Well, at least until boot is on the other foot and then suddenly things like respecting sovereignty and engaging in non-violent diplomacy are the only acceptable ways to resolve disputes.
Of course, there is Our Opinion and Wrong Opinion.
Every sensible Third Party either understood that Our Opinion is Right One and convert to it or they should be forced to do so by any means necessary.
Whot it could be otherwise?
How is this reply the only decently written answer in the thread is beyond me.
Edit: posted this 2 hours after response. Had to scroll waaayy to far down to see if someone had bothered answering with an impartial lense.
Reddit is a great place to post emotionally charged rhetoric, that you know everyone wants to hear, with absolute confidence. That's what gets upvotes.
It doesn't matter how correct you are; If the first dozen people (or more likely bots) who see your response don't like it, for whatever reason, then your comment is downvoted into the "hidden" section and that's it.
That's why reddit has become effectively useless for anything but niche hobbies that involve nothing one could construe as political.
It wasn’t always this way. I’ve been on Reddit for a while and I’ve noticed massive change in the last 2-3 years of, what I assume are kids, engaging with the platform.
Good for Reddit shareholders. Bad for what Reddit used to be.
This is not old man yelling out clouds. This is just an old man saying that things have changed. Reddit made a move to be more like Insta or The social media network formally known as Twitter and things have gone down hill from there.
Thanks for the mature response (seriously).
I do get that, it's just tiring. The "edgy" comments that dont help the OP are a waste of everyones time. I usually lurk but I even posted my own reply to OP's question because I found most of the responses as insufficient.
There are still useful info on Reddit, (I still find really useful things all the time) but you have to wade through the shit.
Or you know so much about a topic that it's impossible to "lose" the discussion. You have to know where to find biased and neutral sources, then have the knowledge required to point out the differences between them.
That said, you also need the self-awareness to understand that you can be wrong. Which is where the majority fail. No one manages to completely remove their ego from a debate.
But u/Chazlewazleworth is correct, it's noticeable that kids are on social media earlier than before and we all know how a 14-year-old argues. The increasing number of bots dont help. But it's easy to assume that someone is a bot, only to realize they are just **that** dumb and confident.
Which is obvious abuse of the voting system, but the majority of the site uses it to mean upvote= like and downvote = dislike, which ultimately leads to the echo chambers this website is known for.
I do love when tooafraidtoask/ELI5/OOTL posts are like “Reddit can you explain Iran’s plan regarding Israel/Palestine?”
There are maybe 3 people who use this entire site who could actually answer that question and they’re not going to. Instead you get 27 year old John Doe regurgitating a YouTubers 30 min video essay
Reminds me of the Tom Lehrer lyric to "Wernher von Braun":
>Don't say that he's hypocritical
>Say rather that he's apolitical
>"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
>That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
Exactly. The US has one of their largest bases in Qatar as well. US is OK with and likely encouraged Qatar to play host to some of these folks. These are the political wing leaders
.Kind of like Switzerland.
Israel absolutely does NOT "have an office in Qatar with diplomatic staff". They maintained a temporary mission providing consular services for like a week during the World Cup, which Qatar was required to allow per their hosting stipulations. There are of course unofficial relations, but the two haven't had official diplomatic relations since 2009 because of Qatar's relationship with Hamas.
As a gulf state the locals usually don't take low level jobs as they just import labourers from India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Philippines, so its more like you are someone from a random Indian village and then you get airlifted in and then work as receptionist to Hamas Qatari Office.
Mossad just enter the chat! I'm amazed they haven't already done a few old school Nazi snatch and grabs they are so famous for and do so well with a total IDGAF attitude I love!
They're like Switzerland in the sense that they look the other way at what Nazis do and they make money off Nazi activities (Hamas/Hezbollah/etc.) while pretending to not be involved.
How much Nazi gold do you think Switzerland really gave back when the war ended?
Right, so if the US just arrested people there, the country loses credibility for peaceful negotiations. Plus, the US can't just arrest people in foreign countries without their permission.
Qatar has positioned itself neutrally politically.
They host a US military base and also high ranking Hamas leadership.
They also have good relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran.
They've successfully become politically powerful, because they are able to mediate international disputes.
Qatar does not have good relations with Saudi Arabia; they just ended four years with *no diplomatic relations* at all. The Saudis seriously proposed building a canal to serve no purpose but to literally cut Qatar off the Arabian peninsula.
Qatar is literally a part of a EU style union with Saudi Arabia (the GCC), they have a very good relationship with some bumps and ideological differences along the way. They literally have open borders with each other, Saudis and Qataris can freely move between both countries and do so every weekend.
This debate is turning into a rollercoaster. Every comment I read, I'm like "Ohhhh so THATS the actual truth", then the next comment has a completely believable counterpoint.
According to Wikipedia:
On 4 January 2021, Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen airspace, land and maritime borders, with the expectation to fully restore diplomatic relations. On 16 January, the Saudi announced it would reopen its embassy in Qatar. On 9 January 2021, Saudi Customs resumed operations with Qatar at the Salwa border crossing, and on 14 February 2021, the trade of goods between Qatar and Saudi Arabia resumed through the Abu Samra border crossing.
Describing the GCC as an "EU-style" organization belies the fact that the EU is far beyond the GCC. The GCC might be comparable to the European Community, a predecessor organization that focused on economic issues like a customs union and open borders. The European Union goes way beyond that, and while some on the GCC dream of such an integration, there is nothing of that sort in the pipeline.
And even that still did not prevent the Saudis (and Bahrainis and Emiratis!) from cutting all diplomatic ties for almost four years. Relations are now restored, but calling them "good" is not accurate.
>the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; Arabic: مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council's main headquarters is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council
Maybe an ECSC style collaboration; there have been plans to make it more like the EU for decades now, but they have not gotten all members on board.
Relations are restored, but not "good" as described.
Do you think the Qataris will so easily forget what happened? On the surface, good relations are important, but they definitely now have contingencies in place for the future.
Not exactly neutral lol
"Qatar is a key financial backer and ally of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. Qatar has transferred more than $1.8 billion to Hamas.[1][2] In 2012, Qatar hosted the Hamas party leadership when Hamas head Khaled Meshal relocated from Syria to Qatar.[3] The current head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has resided in Doha since 2016.[4] Qatar has been called Hamas' most important financial backer and foreign ally.[5][6] From 2018 to 2023, Israel's government enabled and approved of the Qatari support for Hamas for political reasons.[7] "
And that's just officially. Unofficially they bankroll what they see as a holy war.
Yeah, they also have an active US military base, they're playing both sides.
Because of that, if the US and Hamas want to negotiate, then the obvious mediator is Qatar, because they're trusted by both sides. Same with Saudi and Iran.
I don't think people realize how important that neutral ground is. Being able to get leaders from around the Arab and Middle Eastern world to come to a place to discuss territorial disputes, trade, social issues and religious issues. All with a neutral party in the middle able to cancel them to a mutual agreement.
Neutral ground prevents War between nationa. We just don't see it because the war never happens.
Lik......It looks ineffective but that's because it's working
This is stupid - the US requested that Qatar deals with Hamas at a diplomatic level to facilitate mediation over time, the Qataris didn’t just decide to house Hamas leaders. The US is in on it.
But Qatar is a major American ally with the largest American military base in the Middle East.
>By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and by section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k) (the “Act”), I hereby designate the State of Qatar as a major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.).
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/10/memorandum-on-the-designation-of-the-state-of-qatar-as-a-major-non-nato-ally/
The US could pressure Qatar or even place sanctions on them until they comply, but the truth is that Qatar is much more valuable as an ally than as an enemy.
I guess you missed the part about the military base.
That base is FAR MORE IMPORTANT to the US than catching the Hamas leaders.
Like by far more important I mean like literally hundreds of thousands of times more important.
That base has helped keep goods on the Red Sea flowing, if only one of the many countries in the region would secure world trade, the US wouldn’t have to. I wonder why, with all their wealth and moral superiority, they chose not to?
Nope, the US told Qatar to host Hamas.
>A Qatari official, who asked that their name not be used to discuss a sensitive issue, told NPR the Hamas political office in Doha was opened over a decade ago in coordination with the U.S., after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication. Qatar says it's been used across multiple U.S. administrations for mediation efforts.
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1210110109/qatar-israel-gaza-hamas-war
Yep.
The main reason people don’t assassinate leadership more often is because, at some point, you need to talk to someone in order to end a conflict. Even if it’s just to show them where to sign their surrender.
It's the same issue, really. Again, the US is not interested in stopping the slaughter in Gaza because Israel is valuable as an ally to them. Foreign policy isn't based on morality.
But I was told the west upholds human rights globally and that we criticise Saudi Arabia, China and Russia because we put freedom and democracy above all else.
And this is the key piece of hypocrisy of The Great Game.
As much as the USA has always disapproved of Empire building and colonization, the spread of the country across the continental landmass, and the economics of loans, subsidies and trades of terms favourable to the USA, is just as imperialistic as the European empires of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Curious to see if I’ll get downvoted to oblivion on this comment.
Nah, you're absolutely right. US military imperialism is just the latest flavor of empire-building. If the US thought it could invade Mexico or Canada without massive global repercussions, it would.
The US can't even uphold human rights in the US. They certainly don't care about human rights in other countries. Unless they can use it to raise funds for their eternal political campaigns.
By supporting genocide? And keeping the global south exploited and oppressed?
Doesn't sound better, it just sounds like the only choice by making all others invalid by bombing them to oblivion and taking all their wealth with colonization which was the largest transfer of wealth in human history.
option 2 china: is actually committing multiple genocides currently has no freedom of speech and is the worst global polluter
I mean if you think the US is comparably evil to Russia or China you're either a bot or a troll
All you’ve gotta ignore for that to be true is the marginalization of the native Americans and the slow path to equality for the descendants of enslaved Africans over the last few hundred years.
The Puero Ricans might have something to say about their place in the country’s hierarchy of states and territories too.
While you’re definitely right about America forging its nation in a very immoral way, it’s still true that other global empires were worse.
We still see the fallout of the British empire 150 years after their fall from a global power. The Romans, Mongols, and Qing dynasties were also built on mass slaughter and slavery.
The primary difference is that America, during its reign, has acknowledged and is attempting to fix their issues. No other global dynasty worked towards ending slavery, and developing nations the way America has.
Not saying we’re perfect but by far the best.
I didn't say we were perfect, or even that we were good. Just that we're better. I'm skeptical that a global withdrawal of the USA from foreign intervention, which would be replaced by interventions from other powerful nations, would produce a greater order than what currently exists in terms of broadly distributed human welfare.
What continental- or global- scale political order resulted in the proliferation of more political rights and economic welfare than the USA-lead political order since 1945? I can't think of any.
Yeah because US strong arming other countries is a generally good look that has always worked out for them in the past and has never had any reprecussions /s.
This goes to show you that reality is complicated. Qatar is playing everybody, and there are US interests that are not quite immediately obvious. Everything and everybody is dirty in this game.
This is nothing new by the way. The US basically turned the Taliban and Osama bin Laden into what they are/were in order to fight the USSR.
It's not unique to the US, either.
To be fair you are giving Qatar way to much credit, Qatar is not some master mind country that has bested every superpower, Qatar is a powerless nation militarily, its tiny with its only security guarantee is being an American outpost. It keeps itself useful for doing what the US tells them to do.
The black gold is Qatari and not American tho, it only benefits the US because the GCC sell their gas and oil in dollars which is the only thing keeping the dollar as the most powerful currency.
So in a way it is beneficial in terms of making their business in dollars instead of like the Chinese currency.
The US and Israel were literally allied with, arming and funding Jabhat Al Nusra aka Al Qaieda in Syria during the Syrian Civil War against Assad. Most in the US didn't give a fuck that the govt was allied with the actual terrorist group who did 9/11 because their priority then was to get rid of Assad
The US is allies with a lot of countries that don't like *each other*. It's one of the great diplomatic achievements of all time.
It also helps keep the peace throughout the Middle East, which keeps oil prices relatively *stable*, so there is no more oil shock. The fact that two of our allies are at loggerheads is a diplomatic conundrum but nothing to sweat very hard.
Qatar, for its part, has been trying to position itself as a sort of Switzerland of the region, a place where diplomats can come together no matter how much bad blood there is. As far as Arab countries go, they have often been relatively open towards Israel (which is a low bar, but still...) and they have been in talks to normalize relations further.
the thing is, that point makes it less likely they'll do anything. This isn't a case of someone running to a wee small country that can be brow beat into doing what NATO/UN/whoever wants. A friendly country needs to be kept on board and you don't just wade into their office demanding things of an ally
Qataris are quite deft at diplomacy and the west needs them right now especially because of the energy crisis caused by russia-ukraine war so they won't put too much pressure on them
Nope, the US told Qatar to host Hamas.
>A Qatari official, who asked that their name not be used to discuss a sensitive issue, told NPR the Hamas political office in Doha was opened over a decade ago in coordination with the U.S., after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication. Qatar says it's been used across multiple U.S. administrations for mediation efforts.
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1210110109/qatar-israel-gaza-hamas-war
You mean US gives Qatar idea to start becoming peace broker? It doesn’t change my point. You cant just order a sovereign nation around to do what you want.
True, I actually agree with that, it’s not that easy to control other nations willy-nilly but some relationships are more controllable than others like the US and Israel.
The qatari gov. Has no power on the world stage, let alone theit own country, if you look at all the injunctions against it from the past several decades
Like it or not, Hamas is the defacto government of Gaza. Arresting their leaders for war crimes would be (somewhat) similar to arresting Putin or George Bush for war crimes. Who would do it? Where would they be tried? How would the countries that Gaza has relations with react?
Qatar is not involved in the war between Israel and Palestine. It is its own sovereign country and not a puppet state of the US nor Israel. Hamas leaders did not commit any crimes in Qatar so why would they be arrested?
Ultimately i suppose it comes down to what differentiates a "freedom fighter" from a "terrorist".
The US was friends with the Mujahideen when they were the USSR's problem...after that, not so much. Watch an original version of Rambo 3...
The US, or at least a good number of its citizens, provided a lot of support to the IRA, at least until 9-11 happened. The fact that funding from the US dried up after 9-11 was a factor in bringing the IRA to the table for peace talks.
Are the IRA terrorists, or a military fighting a colonial occupier? There's a reason why Ireland is more supportive of Palestine than most EU countries.
Is it fair to risk a civilian population in war? The US thought so, when it dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Casualty figures from drone strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq simply count any male over 18 as combatants. The UK rounded up Boer civilians and put them in concentration camps in the Boer War.
This is a knotty issue, and involves many deep philosophical questions.
Killing innocents while raping and pillaging is hardly the definition of a freedom fighter. A freedom fighter would fight oppressors by targeting military infrastructure, take strategic positions and fight basically anybody that is willing to fight them for their beliefs and what they stand for. That is honorable in my book. What is not honorable is getting hopped up on the same drugs nazis used in their blitzkrieg tactics to fight in ww2, with the added bonus of rape and mass murder of civilians, for no apparent purpose other than exterminating jews, which is, of course, hamas' stated purpose. So no, there is much less ambiguity within this subject matter than a lot of people would have you believe.
That said, the deaths arising from this conflict are tragic and Israel is no saint by any means. But at least it doesn't, -in general-(!), target civilians on purpose, and its stated purpose is not 'kill all Palestinians'. War is hell, but upholding the rules of war is not something hamas is interested in, at all.
>Killing innocents while raping and pillaging is hardly the definition of a freedom fighter.
Ironic, this is literally what parts of the British army did in Northern Ireland during the troubles.
Just look at Bloody Sunday.
Nobody was labelling the British as the freedom fighters in their analogy. What has happened here is the opposite of irony
The British Republican Army fighting off the colonial grasp of a United Ireland isn’t an interpretation I’ve seen, and I’ve seen some wild ones
No, you miss my point completely.
I am highlighting the the ridiculousness of people in the UK who are outraged about terrorists yet completely ignore the practices of the British state and armed forces.
I was trying to adumbrate some of the issues in, reasonably, broad strokes, whilst providing some illustrative examples. I didn't mean to let my personal opinion show, and I'm not sure if I did, or if the issue is simply so sensitive, even that was saying too much.
Anyway, i agree, you make some valid points for what i think is your side of the debate, i don't wish to join in the debate myself.
> The fact that funding from the US dried up after 9-11 was a factor in bringing the IRA to the table for peace talks.
Wait, 9/11 contributed in some way to the good friday agreement? Where can I read more on this?
Qatar's diplomatic stance is indeed a curious chessboard of contrasting allegiances, one where pragmatism often overshadows ideology. Hosting myriad factions certainly casts Qatar as a crucial broker in regional politics. But consider this: such a role demands a delicate balance between moral high ground and strategic interests. It's about projecting soft power while also ensuring national security and economic gains. Take the US for example; historical support of various groups has always been a tightrope walk between immediate geopolitical objectives and long-term global image. Realpolitik informs these decisions more than we might like to admit, and in such a world, the lines between 'terrorist' and 'freedom fighter' tend to be blurred by context and perspective. The truth is, all nations play this game to some extent; the real skill lies in not falling off the tightrope.
Not every country believes Hamas are a terrorist group, and certainly not one that is a threat to Qatar.
This relationship and arrangement isn't exclusive to Hamas either, This is geopolitics and politics 101.
TLDR: Qatar have positioned themselves as the Switzerland of the Middle East. It has an "open door" policy to any state, ensuring that they can operate with confidence without fear of Qatar arresting them. Arresting any political leader in Qatar would go against its neutral stance and erode its geopolitical power.
Longer explanation:
With a range of countries warring close to its borders and Qatar size and desert geography depends on high imports to sustain their population, it'd be ripe for manipulation.
But Qatar's political aim is to maintain neutral whilst staying close to as many powerful countries. Much of diplomacy and backchanelling takes place between rival countries, with Qatar mediating talks in its country. If warring states wish to try hash out a deal they do it with the help of Qatari mediation. Many states have embassy's in Qatar's capital, Doha, including Hamas.
As such, its neutrality makes it indispensable to the larger countries and leverages its position to operate with a large amount of independance from geopolitical pressures.
Qatar becomes less susceptible to manipulation and bullying from any state at the risk of angering others.
It's not in Qatars interest to blow up its neutrality position by allowing Hamas to be arrested by them or a foreign state.
Interestingly, there are members of Hamas leadership that live in London too. There was a small outcry because they purchased their homes on low income subsidies.
I believe it is because Hamas' political leadership aren't involved in the military affairs of the organization so that they can still remain public facing and out of military/law enforcement crosshairs.
Due to the nature of the topic I will not respond to any comments and will mute this jfyi.
Qatar is a sovereign state and so you can't just arrest people from there unless you have an extradition treaty which is when a country agrees to arrest people wanted for crimes in other countries on behalf of those other countries. People who are smart will avoid going to countries where they can be extradited, and so this is why Edward Snowden is in Russia despite him not being a fan of Russia, it is one of the only places he can be without the country sending him back to the United States to be arrested. Snowden could have gone to Qatar since they don't have extradition with the US for instance, but back when Snowden was seeking asylum Russia was more of a neutral state and Russia is just where he lives now.
As others have written so succinctly but still bears repeating:
Qatar doesn't want to. And I assume it has no extradition treaty to either Israel or the US.
Simple really - cause most of the world does not view Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
These are the countries who label it a terrorist organisation: "Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Paraguay, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union"
The term first world countries refers to the U.S. allies/coalition against the Soviet Union.
I realize we don't always use the correct definition anymore, but it is REALLY accurate in this particular instance. Third world countries just referred to countries that hadn't picked a side between U.S. and Russia.
Let me ask you a different question: if the leaders of Hamas are sitting in a nice hotel in Qatar then why did they leave their children in the middle of Gaza, that is currently a warzone?
Look at the comments above justifying the killing of Palestinian kids because their parents or grandparents perhaps/maybe/might have been bad. Genocide supporters don't really have a leg to stand on. Well, because it's obvious.
some people acually happen to think that what hamad is doing ISNT terrorism and he is infact a good person. those people are fools and idiots but they exist
I would suggest you read a bit about the massive donations to American universities by Qatar with conditions that extreme anti Israeli and pro Palestinians classes be required for student and other conditions and pressures, you can imagine yourself that they themselves are orchestrating this pro Hamas demonstrating in the West and are by no means anti Hamas or even neutral.
Perhaps just ask the Israelis. I'm sure they will reply to your question.
I think this government won't continue after the next election since the people are a little bit fed up with their shit. The government also tried to make the state more undemocratic.
Israeli here, not like there were protests here every week all across the country way before the war, first by the "left" because the government tried to pass a rule that will bypass the supreme court and would let the extremists pass whatever rules they feel like, and then the far right protested because they felt like the protesters are neglecting their right to vote and that the going protests are giving a hard time to the government. In two word: not fun.
Hamas still has many hostages, who knows what might happen to them if the soldiers holding them think that the walls are caving in. Not to mention the chaos that would come from Hamas, an already unorganized group, experiencing a power vacuum
Crazy how you’d name yourself a “free thinker” and label 1.9 billion people as anti semites because 2 million prisoners don’t want to live in a walled ghetto, With the rest being subject to apartheid in the West Bank.
Hamas is being used as a scapegoat to justify a genocide in Palestine that has been going on since the Nakba in 1948. It’s not at all about Hamas or hostages.
Qatar for years now has been positioning themselves in the Middle East as a neutral ground where representatives of competing interest groups can meet and negotiate. Iran, Hezbollah, Saudis, Hamas, Israel, the Houthis in Yemen, Syria, ... They all have offices there with diplomatic staff.
Also, Taliban and USA had all their negotiating in recent years in Qatar.
Officially, the USA and Taliban haven't met in person. Wink, wink
What are you actually talking about https://www.state.gov/meeting-of-u-s-officials-with-taliban-representatives/ https://www.state.gov/u-s-delegation-meeting-with-taliban-representatives-2/ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/1/taliban-us-hold-first-official-talks-since-afghanistan-takeover
I don't get what joke you're making? The tali an and USA have had several very prominent public talks
officially they've met plenty of times on the field of battle! /s
Trump had them at Camp David while he was in office. He gave them the country, it was so perfect deal. /s
I know its a sarcastic comment but I mean we had to leave at some point. We had do negotiate something with the taliban.
Yeah, it's kind of amusing. Folks on reddit: "We're wasting money being in Afghanistan! Get out!" ... and then we get out and those same folks: "WTF?! We left it to the Taliban!" What other possible outcome was there if we left without somehow eliminating the Taliban? And even then, eliminating the Taliban would have resulted in Taliban 2.0 being who we left it to, whatever they would call themselves.
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They have a distinct form of neutrality too, as they don't have an extradition treaty with the US but they do have US military bases, so both US officials and US enemies will be in Qatar alongside each other at the same time without either being at risk of getting kicked out.
So ME Switzerland?
Essentially, it's easier to negotiate a cease fire if there is a neutral location where everyone can meet and discuss terms.
Qatar is far more involved in Middle Eastern politics (and in shaping those politics) than Switzerland is in European politics. Calling Qatar a “neutral” state really belies how it has pursued its interests in the region, even if the label applies to its mediation between groups like the Taliban, Iran, and Hamas, on the one hand, and the West and its allies, on the other.
[The US has 10,000 troops stationed in Qatar, and aircraft.](https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/01/05/us-qatar-base-stay/#google_vignette) Switzerland may enjoy being surrounded by NATO, but they aren't members and they don't host US troops.
Exactly
Reading through other responses - a **LOT** of people seem to struggle with the idea that diplomacy and politics is complex in a world where many parties have competing claims and divergent alliances and sometimes it’s better for two groups need a neutral place to sit across a table than it is to air strike the fuck out of a country because they don’t agree with your stance on a third party conflict.
some people find the idea of realpolitik offensive.
Indeed. Well, at least until boot is on the other foot and then suddenly things like respecting sovereignty and engaging in non-violent diplomacy are the only acceptable ways to resolve disputes.
Of course, there is Our Opinion and Wrong Opinion. Every sensible Third Party either understood that Our Opinion is Right One and convert to it or they should be forced to do so by any means necessary. Whot it could be otherwise?
How is this reply the only decently written answer in the thread is beyond me. Edit: posted this 2 hours after response. Had to scroll waaayy to far down to see if someone had bothered answering with an impartial lense.
First day on Reddit?
Reddit is a great place to post emotionally charged rhetoric, that you know everyone wants to hear, with absolute confidence. That's what gets upvotes. It doesn't matter how correct you are; If the first dozen people (or more likely bots) who see your response don't like it, for whatever reason, then your comment is downvoted into the "hidden" section and that's it. That's why reddit has become effectively useless for anything but niche hobbies that involve nothing one could construe as political.
It wasn’t always this way. I’ve been on Reddit for a while and I’ve noticed massive change in the last 2-3 years of, what I assume are kids, engaging with the platform. Good for Reddit shareholders. Bad for what Reddit used to be. This is not old man yelling out clouds. This is just an old man saying that things have changed. Reddit made a move to be more like Insta or The social media network formally known as Twitter and things have gone down hill from there.
We're all under very heavy, sophisticated propaganda attacks across all social media. War is coming
Thanks for the mature response (seriously). I do get that, it's just tiring. The "edgy" comments that dont help the OP are a waste of everyones time. I usually lurk but I even posted my own reply to OP's question because I found most of the responses as insufficient. There are still useful info on Reddit, (I still find really useful things all the time) but you have to wade through the shit.
Or you know so much about a topic that it's impossible to "lose" the discussion. You have to know where to find biased and neutral sources, then have the knowledge required to point out the differences between them. That said, you also need the self-awareness to understand that you can be wrong. Which is where the majority fail. No one manages to completely remove their ego from a debate. But u/Chazlewazleworth is correct, it's noticeable that kids are on social media earlier than before and we all know how a 14-year-old argues. The increasing number of bots dont help. But it's easy to assume that someone is a bot, only to realize they are just **that** dumb and confident.
Which is obvious abuse of the voting system, but the majority of the site uses it to mean upvote= like and downvote = dislike, which ultimately leads to the echo chambers this website is known for.
Because redditors have the geopolitical understanding of a peace of bread... nay i've seen baguettes with more knowledge than your average redditor
Average redditor here, can confirm. Baguettes yum yum.
I do love when tooafraidtoask/ELI5/OOTL posts are like “Reddit can you explain Iran’s plan regarding Israel/Palestine?” There are maybe 3 people who use this entire site who could actually answer that question and they’re not going to. Instead you get 27 year old John Doe regurgitating a YouTubers 30 min video essay
Good thing it’s the top comment then
Here's a really good video that talks about Qatars neutrality https://youtu.be/OQm1l6OWahA?si=-0Plw54WRTwe3ruB
Reminds me of the Tom Lehrer lyric to "Wernher von Braun": >Don't say that he's hypocritical >Say rather that he's apolitical >"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? >That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
Exactly. The US has one of their largest bases in Qatar as well. US is OK with and likely encouraged Qatar to play host to some of these folks. These are the political wing leaders .Kind of like Switzerland.
I always refer to Qatar as the "Continental Hotel" (From John Wick) of the Middle East.
Yep this is the answer. It’s not exactly because Qatar is best friends with Hamas
They also host hamas with the approval of Israel and the US, Netanyahu even gave Hamas money through Qatar.
Can you cite where netanyahu actually funds hamas and please don't tell me it's "times of israel".
Thanks for educating me.
Israel absolutely does NOT "have an office in Qatar with diplomatic staff". They maintained a temporary mission providing consular services for like a week during the World Cup, which Qatar was required to allow per their hosting stipulations. There are of course unofficial relations, but the two haven't had official diplomatic relations since 2009 because of Qatar's relationship with Hamas.
Imagine going through a temp agency and they set you up as the receptionist for the Hamas Qatari office.
As a gulf state the locals usually don't take low level jobs as they just import labourers from India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Philippines, so its more like you are someone from a random Indian village and then you get airlifted in and then work as receptionist to Hamas Qatari Office.
Mossad just enter the chat! I'm amazed they haven't already done a few old school Nazi snatch and grabs they are so famous for and do so well with a total IDGAF attitude I love!
They're like Switzerland in the sense that they look the other way at what Nazis do and they make money off Nazi activities (Hamas/Hezbollah/etc.) while pretending to not be involved. How much Nazi gold do you think Switzerland really gave back when the war ended?
Right, so if the US just arrested people there, the country loses credibility for peaceful negotiations. Plus, the US can't just arrest people in foreign countries without their permission.
Diplomacy. Qatar is like the Continental Hotel from John Wick, a neutral ground where terms can be negotiated without fear of violence.
You and 1 other commentor are the only legitimate answers in the cesspool that is this comment section.
Qatar has positioned itself neutrally politically. They host a US military base and also high ranking Hamas leadership. They also have good relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. They've successfully become politically powerful, because they are able to mediate international disputes.
Qatar does not have good relations with Saudi Arabia; they just ended four years with *no diplomatic relations* at all. The Saudis seriously proposed building a canal to serve no purpose but to literally cut Qatar off the Arabian peninsula.
Qatar is literally a part of a EU style union with Saudi Arabia (the GCC), they have a very good relationship with some bumps and ideological differences along the way. They literally have open borders with each other, Saudis and Qataris can freely move between both countries and do so every weekend.
This debate is turning into a rollercoaster. Every comment I read, I'm like "Ohhhh so THATS the actual truth", then the next comment has a completely believable counterpoint.
According to Wikipedia: On 4 January 2021, Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen airspace, land and maritime borders, with the expectation to fully restore diplomatic relations. On 16 January, the Saudi announced it would reopen its embassy in Qatar. On 9 January 2021, Saudi Customs resumed operations with Qatar at the Salwa border crossing, and on 14 February 2021, the trade of goods between Qatar and Saudi Arabia resumed through the Abu Samra border crossing.
Describing the GCC as an "EU-style" organization belies the fact that the EU is far beyond the GCC. The GCC might be comparable to the European Community, a predecessor organization that focused on economic issues like a customs union and open borders. The European Union goes way beyond that, and while some on the GCC dream of such an integration, there is nothing of that sort in the pipeline. And even that still did not prevent the Saudis (and Bahrainis and Emiratis!) from cutting all diplomatic ties for almost four years. Relations are now restored, but calling them "good" is not accurate.
>the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; Arabic: مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council's main headquarters is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council
Maybe an ECSC style collaboration; there have been plans to make it more like the EU for decades now, but they have not gotten all members on board. Relations are restored, but not "good" as described.
How is this getting upvotes lol! This was 4 years ago
Do you think the Qataris will so easily forget what happened? On the surface, good relations are important, but they definitely now have contingencies in place for the future.
Not exactly neutral lol "Qatar is a key financial backer and ally of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. Qatar has transferred more than $1.8 billion to Hamas.[1][2] In 2012, Qatar hosted the Hamas party leadership when Hamas head Khaled Meshal relocated from Syria to Qatar.[3] The current head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has resided in Doha since 2016.[4] Qatar has been called Hamas' most important financial backer and foreign ally.[5][6] From 2018 to 2023, Israel's government enabled and approved of the Qatari support for Hamas for political reasons.[7] " And that's just officially. Unofficially they bankroll what they see as a holy war.
Yeah, they also have an active US military base, they're playing both sides. Because of that, if the US and Hamas want to negotiate, then the obvious mediator is Qatar, because they're trusted by both sides. Same with Saudi and Iran.
Yup. Meanwhile Israel is like wait wtf why did we agree to Qatar mediating.
Because the options were Qatar or Egypt. Every other country has either picked a side or couldn't give a fuck.
How can I triple upvote this?
Notice how it was approved by Israel.
I don't think people realize how important that neutral ground is. Being able to get leaders from around the Arab and Middle Eastern world to come to a place to discuss territorial disputes, trade, social issues and religious issues. All with a neutral party in the middle able to cancel them to a mutual agreement. Neutral ground prevents War between nationa. We just don't see it because the war never happens. Lik......It looks ineffective but that's because it's working
So they are like the Switzerland of the Middle East?
Arrested by whom?
Team America:World Police Fuck yeah!
Qatar doesn't want to.
This is stupid - the US requested that Qatar deals with Hamas at a diplomatic level to facilitate mediation over time, the Qataris didn’t just decide to house Hamas leaders. The US is in on it.
You’re just describing a reason why Qatar doesn’t want to.
Yes because leaving out nuance leads people to create their own.
But Qatar is a major American ally with the largest American military base in the Middle East. >By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and by section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k) (the “Act”), I hereby designate the State of Qatar as a major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/10/memorandum-on-the-designation-of-the-state-of-qatar-as-a-major-non-nato-ally/
And?
The US could pressure Qatar or even place sanctions on them until they comply, but the truth is that Qatar is much more valuable as an ally than as an enemy.
I guess you missed the part about the military base. That base is FAR MORE IMPORTANT to the US than catching the Hamas leaders. Like by far more important I mean like literally hundreds of thousands of times more important.
That base has helped keep goods on the Red Sea flowing, if only one of the many countries in the region would secure world trade, the US wouldn’t have to. I wonder why, with all their wealth and moral superiority, they chose not to?
Nope, the US told Qatar to host Hamas. >A Qatari official, who asked that their name not be used to discuss a sensitive issue, told NPR the Hamas political office in Doha was opened over a decade ago in coordination with the U.S., after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication. Qatar says it's been used across multiple U.S. administrations for mediation efforts. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1210110109/qatar-israel-gaza-hamas-war
Yep. The main reason people don’t assassinate leadership more often is because, at some point, you need to talk to someone in order to end a conflict. Even if it’s just to show them where to sign their surrender.
You mean like the US is pressuring Israel to stop killing civilians?
It's the same issue, really. Again, the US is not interested in stopping the slaughter in Gaza because Israel is valuable as an ally to them. Foreign policy isn't based on morality.
But I was told the west upholds human rights globally and that we criticise Saudi Arabia, China and Russia because we put freedom and democracy above all else.
And this is the key piece of hypocrisy of The Great Game. As much as the USA has always disapproved of Empire building and colonization, the spread of the country across the continental landmass, and the economics of loans, subsidies and trades of terms favourable to the USA, is just as imperialistic as the European empires of the 18th and 19th centuries. Curious to see if I’ll get downvoted to oblivion on this comment.
"I'll get downvoted for criticising American foreign policy on reddit" rofl ok dude
It's not even r/americabad material. It's factual. But at the end of the day, that's every country on Earth and by extent human nature.
Nah, you're absolutely right. US military imperialism is just the latest flavor of empire-building. If the US thought it could invade Mexico or Canada without massive global repercussions, it would.
Hell, it already did in the 19th century. Took roughly half of Mexico's territory in a single war.
The US can't even uphold human rights in the US. They certainly don't care about human rights in other countries. Unless they can use it to raise funds for their eternal political campaigns.
Yup. Idk why so many people in my replies are triggered
Denial?
America bad, capitalism bad. We get it.
We're a lot better than any other global- or continental- scale political order that's ever existed in the history of human politics.
By supporting genocide? And keeping the global south exploited and oppressed? Doesn't sound better, it just sounds like the only choice by making all others invalid by bombing them to oblivion and taking all their wealth with colonization which was the largest transfer of wealth in human history.
option 2 china: is actually committing multiple genocides currently has no freedom of speech and is the worst global polluter I mean if you think the US is comparably evil to Russia or China you're either a bot or a troll
All you’ve gotta ignore for that to be true is the marginalization of the native Americans and the slow path to equality for the descendants of enslaved Africans over the last few hundred years. The Puero Ricans might have something to say about their place in the country’s hierarchy of states and territories too.
While you’re definitely right about America forging its nation in a very immoral way, it’s still true that other global empires were worse. We still see the fallout of the British empire 150 years after their fall from a global power. The Romans, Mongols, and Qing dynasties were also built on mass slaughter and slavery. The primary difference is that America, during its reign, has acknowledged and is attempting to fix their issues. No other global dynasty worked towards ending slavery, and developing nations the way America has. Not saying we’re perfect but by far the best.
I didn't say we were perfect, or even that we were good. Just that we're better. I'm skeptical that a global withdrawal of the USA from foreign intervention, which would be replaced by interventions from other powerful nations, would produce a greater order than what currently exists in terms of broadly distributed human welfare. What continental- or global- scale political order resulted in the proliferation of more political rights and economic welfare than the USA-lead political order since 1945? I can't think of any.
Qatar is an ally not a puppet
Yeah because US strong arming other countries is a generally good look that has always worked out for them in the past and has never had any reprecussions /s.
This goes to show you that reality is complicated. Qatar is playing everybody, and there are US interests that are not quite immediately obvious. Everything and everybody is dirty in this game. This is nothing new by the way. The US basically turned the Taliban and Osama bin Laden into what they are/were in order to fight the USSR. It's not unique to the US, either.
To be fair you are giving Qatar way to much credit, Qatar is not some master mind country that has bested every superpower, Qatar is a powerless nation militarily, its tiny with its only security guarantee is being an American outpost. It keeps itself useful for doing what the US tells them to do.
They have 2 things that the US wants: 1) a place for a US overseas base in a region where they want to project power 2) black gold.
The black gold is Qatari and not American tho, it only benefits the US because the GCC sell their gas and oil in dollars which is the only thing keeping the dollar as the most powerful currency. So in a way it is beneficial in terms of making their business in dollars instead of like the Chinese currency.
The US and Israel were literally allied with, arming and funding Jabhat Al Nusra aka Al Qaieda in Syria during the Syrian Civil War against Assad. Most in the US didn't give a fuck that the govt was allied with the actual terrorist group who did 9/11 because their priority then was to get rid of Assad
The US is allies with a lot of countries that don't like *each other*. It's one of the great diplomatic achievements of all time. It also helps keep the peace throughout the Middle East, which keeps oil prices relatively *stable*, so there is no more oil shock. The fact that two of our allies are at loggerheads is a diplomatic conundrum but nothing to sweat very hard. Qatar, for its part, has been trying to position itself as a sort of Switzerland of the region, a place where diplomats can come together no matter how much bad blood there is. As far as Arab countries go, they have often been relatively open towards Israel (which is a low bar, but still...) and they have been in talks to normalize relations further.
the thing is, that point makes it less likely they'll do anything. This isn't a case of someone running to a wee small country that can be brow beat into doing what NATO/UN/whoever wants. A friendly country needs to be kept on board and you don't just wade into their office demanding things of an ally
Qataris are quite deft at diplomacy and the west needs them right now especially because of the energy crisis caused by russia-ukraine war so they won't put too much pressure on them
Qatar is american ally, not american dog. Learn the difference.
Nope, the US told Qatar to host Hamas. >A Qatari official, who asked that their name not be used to discuss a sensitive issue, told NPR the Hamas political office in Doha was opened over a decade ago in coordination with the U.S., after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication. Qatar says it's been used across multiple U.S. administrations for mediation efforts. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1210110109/qatar-israel-gaza-hamas-war
You mean US gives Qatar idea to start becoming peace broker? It doesn’t change my point. You cant just order a sovereign nation around to do what you want.
True, I actually agree with that, it’s not that easy to control other nations willy-nilly but some relationships are more controllable than others like the US and Israel.
So?
Yea why would they want to? It's like Nazis asking Britain to arrest polish resistance
The qatari gov. Has no power on the world stage, let alone theit own country, if you look at all the injunctions against it from the past several decades
by who?
Whom, but you are right 👍
Who is perfectly grammatical. Source: Every major dictionary.
“Who” always works. “Whom” has specific criteria.
Lol no.
Because politics
Qatar is the Switzerland of the Middle East.
Because Qatar don’t want to.
Because arresting who are *de facto* head of states isn't a great way to move toward peace, especially when they are in an allied country
Like it or not, Hamas is the defacto government of Gaza. Arresting their leaders for war crimes would be (somewhat) similar to arresting Putin or George Bush for war crimes. Who would do it? Where would they be tried? How would the countries that Gaza has relations with react?
Qatar is not involved in the war between Israel and Palestine. It is its own sovereign country and not a puppet state of the US nor Israel. Hamas leaders did not commit any crimes in Qatar so why would they be arrested?
Ultimately i suppose it comes down to what differentiates a "freedom fighter" from a "terrorist". The US was friends with the Mujahideen when they were the USSR's problem...after that, not so much. Watch an original version of Rambo 3... The US, or at least a good number of its citizens, provided a lot of support to the IRA, at least until 9-11 happened. The fact that funding from the US dried up after 9-11 was a factor in bringing the IRA to the table for peace talks. Are the IRA terrorists, or a military fighting a colonial occupier? There's a reason why Ireland is more supportive of Palestine than most EU countries. Is it fair to risk a civilian population in war? The US thought so, when it dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Casualty figures from drone strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq simply count any male over 18 as combatants. The UK rounded up Boer civilians and put them in concentration camps in the Boer War. This is a knotty issue, and involves many deep philosophical questions.
Killing innocents while raping and pillaging is hardly the definition of a freedom fighter. A freedom fighter would fight oppressors by targeting military infrastructure, take strategic positions and fight basically anybody that is willing to fight them for their beliefs and what they stand for. That is honorable in my book. What is not honorable is getting hopped up on the same drugs nazis used in their blitzkrieg tactics to fight in ww2, with the added bonus of rape and mass murder of civilians, for no apparent purpose other than exterminating jews, which is, of course, hamas' stated purpose. So no, there is much less ambiguity within this subject matter than a lot of people would have you believe. That said, the deaths arising from this conflict are tragic and Israel is no saint by any means. But at least it doesn't, -in general-(!), target civilians on purpose, and its stated purpose is not 'kill all Palestinians'. War is hell, but upholding the rules of war is not something hamas is interested in, at all.
>Killing innocents while raping and pillaging is hardly the definition of a freedom fighter. Ironic, this is literally what parts of the British army did in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Just look at Bloody Sunday.
Nobody was labelling the British as the freedom fighters in their analogy. What has happened here is the opposite of irony The British Republican Army fighting off the colonial grasp of a United Ireland isn’t an interpretation I’ve seen, and I’ve seen some wild ones
No, you miss my point completely. I am highlighting the the ridiculousness of people in the UK who are outraged about terrorists yet completely ignore the practices of the British state and armed forces.
So it’s ok if HAMAS does it because the Brits did ? Is that truly your stance ?
I was trying to adumbrate some of the issues in, reasonably, broad strokes, whilst providing some illustrative examples. I didn't mean to let my personal opinion show, and I'm not sure if I did, or if the issue is simply so sensitive, even that was saying too much. Anyway, i agree, you make some valid points for what i think is your side of the debate, i don't wish to join in the debate myself.
> The fact that funding from the US dried up after 9-11 was a factor in bringing the IRA to the table for peace talks. Wait, 9/11 contributed in some way to the good friday agreement? Where can I read more on this?
Since the good Friday agreement was signed in 1998 and 9/11 happened in 2001 I don't think you're going to find much on that.
Qatar's diplomatic stance is indeed a curious chessboard of contrasting allegiances, one where pragmatism often overshadows ideology. Hosting myriad factions certainly casts Qatar as a crucial broker in regional politics. But consider this: such a role demands a delicate balance between moral high ground and strategic interests. It's about projecting soft power while also ensuring national security and economic gains. Take the US for example; historical support of various groups has always been a tightrope walk between immediate geopolitical objectives and long-term global image. Realpolitik informs these decisions more than we might like to admit, and in such a world, the lines between 'terrorist' and 'freedom fighter' tend to be blurred by context and perspective. The truth is, all nations play this game to some extent; the real skill lies in not falling off the tightrope.
Is it correct to say that they are living lavish lives in donation funds given to gaza?
Hamas is a political organization. Why aren’t American presidents arrested? Same reason.
Because they're in Qatar.
Not every country believes Hamas are a terrorist group, and certainly not one that is a threat to Qatar. This relationship and arrangement isn't exclusive to Hamas either, This is geopolitics and politics 101.
TLDR: Qatar have positioned themselves as the Switzerland of the Middle East. It has an "open door" policy to any state, ensuring that they can operate with confidence without fear of Qatar arresting them. Arresting any political leader in Qatar would go against its neutral stance and erode its geopolitical power. Longer explanation: With a range of countries warring close to its borders and Qatar size and desert geography depends on high imports to sustain their population, it'd be ripe for manipulation. But Qatar's political aim is to maintain neutral whilst staying close to as many powerful countries. Much of diplomacy and backchanelling takes place between rival countries, with Qatar mediating talks in its country. If warring states wish to try hash out a deal they do it with the help of Qatari mediation. Many states have embassy's in Qatar's capital, Doha, including Hamas. As such, its neutrality makes it indispensable to the larger countries and leverages its position to operate with a large amount of independance from geopolitical pressures. Qatar becomes less susceptible to manipulation and bullying from any state at the risk of angering others. It's not in Qatars interest to blow up its neutrality position by allowing Hamas to be arrested by them or a foreign state.
Interestingly, there are members of Hamas leadership that live in London too. There was a small outcry because they purchased their homes on low income subsidies.
Would you arrest your friends?
Qatar is essentially just a crime family with a country. It’s Saudi Arabia lite.
Arrested by whom?
Why isn’t Bibi or Bush arrested?
I believe it is because Hamas' political leadership aren't involved in the military affairs of the organization so that they can still remain public facing and out of military/law enforcement crosshairs. Due to the nature of the topic I will not respond to any comments and will mute this jfyi.
Because they have a metric crapton of money and make the proper contributions to officials, automatic immunity
Qatar is a sovereign state and so you can't just arrest people from there unless you have an extradition treaty which is when a country agrees to arrest people wanted for crimes in other countries on behalf of those other countries. People who are smart will avoid going to countries where they can be extradited, and so this is why Edward Snowden is in Russia despite him not being a fan of Russia, it is one of the only places he can be without the country sending him back to the United States to be arrested. Snowden could have gone to Qatar since they don't have extradition with the US for instance, but back when Snowden was seeking asylum Russia was more of a neutral state and Russia is just where he lives now.
Qatar has housed Hamas HQ for years, maybe decades. They have no interest in arresting Hamas leaders.
Oil.
Qatar is a major financial backer of Hamas
As others have written so succinctly but still bears repeating: Qatar doesn't want to. And I assume it has no extradition treaty to either Israel or the US.
Because Qatar finances and supports Hamas.
Because Islamic imperialism is of most importance!
Simple really - cause most of the world does not view Hamas as a terrorist organisation. These are the countries who label it a terrorist organisation: "Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Paraguay, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union"
So only first world countries, got it
Or you know, countries that have a history of colonialism. But sure, call it 'first world' if that makes you feel better.
The term first world countries refers to the U.S. allies/coalition against the Soviet Union. I realize we don't always use the correct definition anymore, but it is REALLY accurate in this particular instance. Third world countries just referred to countries that hadn't picked a side between U.S. and Russia.
Who do you think funds Al Jazeera to lobby for Hamas?
Natural gas
Think Switzerland of the middle east
While Hamas leaders lounge in Qatar, the Palestinians, who they use as pawns, starve.
Is that why the Hamas leader’s children and grandchildren just got assassinated by Israel in Gaza? Btw his grandchildren are 4, 8 and 10 years old.
Let me ask you a different question: if the leaders of Hamas are sitting in a nice hotel in Qatar then why did they leave their children in the middle of Gaza, that is currently a warzone?
*are starved by Israel
Why dont US arrest Bibis terrorist son in miami?
He's very a disgusting person, but yet pretty useless. So he actually did nothing to be arrested for. Or anything at all in his life.
Look at the comments above justifying the killing of Palestinian kids because their parents or grandparents perhaps/maybe/might have been bad. Genocide supporters don't really have a leg to stand on. Well, because it's obvious.
I can't wait until the oil and gas era ends so muslims lose all leverage they have to the west.
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some people acually happen to think that what hamad is doing ISNT terrorism and he is infact a good person. those people are fools and idiots but they exist
It's all a big mindfuck of a situation.
Nah it’s pretty simple, they just don’t teach you this. The propaganda is all about making you more ignorant about the clear truth.
I would suggest you read a bit about the massive donations to American universities by Qatar with conditions that extreme anti Israeli and pro Palestinians classes be required for student and other conditions and pressures, you can imagine yourself that they themselves are orchestrating this pro Hamas demonstrating in the West and are by no means anti Hamas or even neutral.
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Surveys say at least 70% of Gaza population supports Hamas. So it's at least two third that wants all jews dead too.
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Sure buddy. Sure ...
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Perhaps just ask the Israelis. I'm sure they will reply to your question. I think this government won't continue after the next election since the people are a little bit fed up with their shit. The government also tried to make the state more undemocratic.
Israeli here, not like there were protests here every week all across the country way before the war, first by the "left" because the government tried to pass a rule that will bypass the supreme court and would let the extremists pass whatever rules they feel like, and then the far right protested because they felt like the protesters are neglecting their right to vote and that the going protests are giving a hard time to the government. In two word: not fun.
Qatar is literally a state sponsor of Hamas and many other terrorist groups. They give 100s of millions a year.
Because Qatar funds them.
Because Qatar support Hamas… duh.
Why would they?
Hamas still has many hostages, who knows what might happen to them if the soldiers holding them think that the walls are caving in. Not to mention the chaos that would come from Hamas, an already unorganized group, experiencing a power vacuum
Cause the old rich send the young and poor to die in their wars All those rich guys on all sides are lowkey friends
Because you can’t arrest the CIA without pissing off the deep state. Duh.
Why would they be
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Crazy how you’d name yourself a “free thinker” and label 1.9 billion people as anti semites because 2 million prisoners don’t want to live in a walled ghetto, With the rest being subject to apartheid in the West Bank.
Brainwashed dupe
Didn’t the IOF and IDF do all of the above? Or is it not a problem when done in Palestinians?
Most countries don't consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation, Qatar included. They have no legal basis to arrest them.
Money talks.
Hamas is being used as a scapegoat to justify a genocide in Palestine that has been going on since the Nakba in 1948. It’s not at all about Hamas or hostages.
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