The U.S. embrace of Qatar has always been a strange fit, but recently President Trump has doubled down, transforming this unholy alliance into something approaching the profane.

Qatar has, over the years, provided the U.S. a valuable package of benefits, from a huge Middle East military footprint to cooperation on terrorist negotiations, and massive, mutually beneficial economic ties. However, Qatar also runs one of the world’s most expansive pro-terrorist media outlets, hosts terrorist organizations while playing intermediary with Western nations, and extravagantly funds anti-American influence campaigns on U.S. soil.

Enter President Trump, who on his recent Middle East tour made lavish overtures to deepen this already treacherous relationship. The coup de grace was Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million luxury 747 aircraft Qatar gifted him (and the U.S.?) for use as the President’s new Air Force One ride.

Surprisingly, Mr. Trump has received little resistance back home for this round of high-stakes Qatari romancing. To unravel this tale of strange bedfellows, not surprisingly, one need only follow the money.

Qatar has sought and gained influence with the U.S. for some decades, helping the U.S. fulfil its military needs in the region, pouring billions of dollars into the U.S. economy, and donating billions to U.S. academic institutions.

But the U.S-Qatari friendship is a contradiction, because Qatar openly opposes many core American values and vital interests. In fact, the tiny, wealthy Gulf state seeks to spread a similar Islamist ideology to that held by terrorist groups such as Hamas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The emirate funds and provides refuge for these groups, uses Al Jazeera to spread their hateful propaganda, and even publicly promotes their Islamist agenda in the U.S. itself.

This would be a good time for American citizens and U.S. lawmakers, including President Trump, to ask themselves: Is our booming financial friendship with Qatar worth compromising America’s strategic goals?

America’s rapprochement with Qatar delivers substantial tangible benefits. The emirate hosts the Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. This base supports operations across the region, including in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. It’s a strategic hub for CENTCOM, and was built at Qatar’s expense—a cost of billions.

Qatar also cooperates with the U.S. on counterterrorism measures, sharing intelligence and supporting the U.S. in combating ISIS and extremist financing. In addition, the emirate acts as a regional mediator, hosting negotiations with Islamist terrorist groups. Qatar’s most recent mediation efforts have been between the U.S., Israel and Hamas, to facilitate the release of hostages kidnapped by the terror group during the October 7^th massacre.

Furthermore, as one of the world’s top liquid natural gas exporters, Qatar contributes to global energy stability, aligning with U.S. interests. But perhaps the biggest benefit of America’s friendship with Qatar is the economic partnership the two countries enjoy. Qatar invests heavily in the U.S. economy (over $45 billion in recent years), supporting infrastructure, technology, and real estate projects.

How Trump seeks to expand and deepen America’s alliance with Qatar. During his recent trip to the Persian Gulf, President Trump signed agreements totaling at least $1.2 trillion with Qatar’s rulers. Trump praised America’s friendship with Qatar, saying, “I don’t think our friendship has ever been stronger than it is right now . . . nobody’s going to break” this relationship.

No wonder Mr. Trump is so bullish on Qatar: The Trump Organization has extensive high-stakes business dealings with state-owned and private Qatari interests, including development of a luxury golf resort.

Yet, the U.S. alliance with Qatar is often contradictory. The emirate not only doesn’t share American or Western values, it shares and promotes the same Islamist ideology espoused by murderous terror groups. In fact, Qatar provides funding and refuge to these terrorists. For example, Qatar has hosted leaders of Hamas for years, and has given them an estimated $1.8 billion. Qatar also contributed $30 million per month to Hamas from 2012 to 2023, according to a Qatari official interviewed by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

The emirate mediates treacherously between the U.S., its allies and the very terrorist groups that its rulers fund. For instance, according to Israel Hayom, Qatar has been sabotaging efforts to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, encouraging Hamas to reject a proposed compromise arrangement drafted by Egypt allegedly because the terror group could negotiate an even better deal.

Plus, Qatar owns and runs Al Jazeera, which publishes Islamist (and anti-Israel) propaganda worldwide. In 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt had a diplomatic fallout with Qatar, they demanded a major shift in Al Jazeera’s pro-Islamist editorial line. These countries ultimately banned Al Jazeera. Even the Palestinian Authority banned Al Jazeera because of the network’s pro-Hamas stance.

How can a country that spews Islamist propaganda that contravenes American values and undermines America’s allies be one of America’s greatest allies in the region?

Qatar seeks to promote its Islamist agenda in the U.S. itself. Perhaps the best example is Qatar’s funding of U.S. academic institutions. Qatar is the largest foreign donor to American higher education, giving U.S. universities a staggering $6.25 billion since 2012. Strong evidence suggests this funding has contributed to skyrocketing antisemitism on U.S. campuses. In fact, a report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy in 2023 noted a link between hidden donations from foreign governments, especially Qatar, to U.S. educational institutions and an increase in antisemitic incidents on campus, as well as the erosion of liberal norms of academic freedom.

Benefits from the U.S.’s Qatari friendship are cancelled out by the emirate’s adversarial behavior. For example, the U.S. might not need Qatar’s mediation services if Qatar didn’t fund hostile terrorist organizations in the first place. On the other hand, Qatar’s investments in the U.S. economy might be hard to replace without the alliance between the two countries. Indeed, the linchpin for this alliance has always been Qatar’s abundant natural gas and oil wealth.

Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that Qatari wealth has created a devil’s bargain for the U.S., one that comes at the steep cost of weakening America’s values and interests.

If you agree we need to spread this truth, please use your email browser to forward this Hotline issue to fellow lovers of Israel—and encourage them to join us by subscribing to the Hotline at no charge.

Best regards,
James Sinkinson, President
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.      I’m sure you’d agree: If your enemy says they want to kill you and take your land, you’d be smart to believe them. If you try to make peace, but they refuse all your offers and continue to make murderous threats, it’s time to eliminate this enemy. Israel has faced exactly this danger with the Palestinians—yet continued to hope for peace . . . until Hamas’s October 7 massacre and kidnappings. Finally, Israel and many lovers of Israel are facing reality. They’ve concluded their futile dreams of peace must end. They must finally defeat their Palestinian enemies—starting with Hamas and other jihadi terrorists. I hope you’ll agree that we supporters of the Israel-U.S. relationship need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“End of the Palestinian Lie”—describes how Israel and the West have for 77 years bought the myth that the Palestinians want peace. It details the many offers of land for peace Israel, the U.N. and the U.S. have made to give Palestinians their own state—all refused. Finally, it explains why Israel must adopt a bold new strategy—disarming, disabling and defeating Hamas and all other terror groups that attack Israeli civilians. Please review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME intends to publish to millions—in leading social media, as well as in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Denver Post and Los Angeles Times. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, the President and Vice President. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us with a donation.

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