![]() Qatar served as an intermediary between the US and the Taliban before the two ultimately negotiated a peace deal directly, in Doha. Qatar’s diplomacy isn’t limited to the realm of Israel-Hamas, either. Qatar played a role in mediating the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, and has supported Gaza, including financing salaries for Hamas civil servants through the sale of fuel to the group - with the okay of Israel, in part because Israel saw it as a stabilizing measure. In late October, Qatar helped negotiate the release of a couple hostages held by Hamas, and it may be helping to tamp down a wider regional conflict, given its good relations with Iran and open channels with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Qatar’s role in this conflict extends beyond this week’s deal. “The Qataris are there to help you out - and they’re there to remind you that they’re helping you out.” Gregory Gause, professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. “You have to talk to Hamas to get anything done,” said F. ![]() That has made the Qataris an indispensable go-between. The United States and Israel do not negotiate directly with Hamas. This has given Qatar leverage - and, most importantly, access. Qatar also has ties to Islamist groups, including Hamas, whose political arm has an office in Doha. It’s a key US ally, hosting an American military base critical to US operations in places like Syria and Iraq. This has been a deliberate gambit on Qatar’s part, which has cultivated and managed pragmatic ties with the region’s main players - becoming a kind of middle man between parties that otherwise do not get along. But Qatar was a key intermediary.Įven before this most recent war between Israel and Hamas, the very tiny, very rich Gulf state had carved out a bit of a reputation as a diplomatic broker, especially in hostage negotiations. The United States played a role, for sure, as did Egypt. ![]() Qatar got the spotlight here because of its role as mediator through weeks of painstaking negotiations. The deal was so sensitive that even as the agreement appeared imminent, senior White House officials were reluctant to confirm until the Qatari government officially announced anything. ![]() Implementation of the deal is still being finalized, but it looks like a serious diplomatic breakthrough, though decidedly not a resolution to the conflict. Late Tuesday, Qatar formally announced a deal between Israel and Hamas that would temporarily pause fighting in Gaza to facilitate a prisoner exchange of at least 50 Israeli and dual-national hostages for the return of 150 Palestinian prisoners, among other elements. ![]()
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