Criticizing Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar two weeks ago, President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about the way that it went down,” and called Qatar “a great ally to the United States.” If Team Trump were to objectively evaluate that statement, they would see that in fact Qatar represents an immense threat to U.S. interests.

Qatar has a two-faced policy, presenting itself as a friend of the U.S. while simultaneously undermining American interests. On the one hand, the abundantly-rich Persian Gulf emirate hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and helps mediate between the U.S., its allies and enemies such as Hamas.

On the other hand, Qatar shelters and finances Islamist terrorist groups. In fact, Qatar’s dictatorial regime holds the same Islamist ideology that drives these terrorist groups. Thus, it’s not surprising that the sheikhdom sponsors the world’s leading source of Islamist propaganda—Al Jazeera.

What’s more, Qatar finances anti-American educational programs at U.S. colleges and universities to the tune of billions of dollars. Further, it uses its vast wealth to influence American politics toward unsavory ends. This influence has reached the highest levels of U.S. power, including the Presidency.

It’s time the U.S. realizes that Qatar is not an ally. It is an enemy, and should be treated as such—having its role in American diplomacy and military operations dramatically reduced, its ownership of U.S. assets curbed, and its news operations in the U.S. market shut down.

Qatar hosts and finances Islamist terrorist groups. For instance, the emirate has long hosted top Hamas leaders, including those who helped plan the October 7^th massacre. Prior to that savage attack, Qatar gave Hamas roughly $30 million per month.

The Qatari government denies financing Hamas’s terrorist activities, claiming it only funds civil and humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip. Documents seized by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in Gaza, however, say otherwise. For instance, in a 2019 document, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly told Qatar’s foreign minister that Doha was “Hamas’s main artery” for fundraising.

In 2021, Haniyeh reportedly wrote to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, who masterminded the October 7th massacre, that Qatar’s emir had “agreed in principle to supply the resistance discreetly but he does not want anyone in the world to know.” Outrageously, despite Qatar’s generous financing of terrorists and providing them refuge, the U.S. continues to treat the Qataris as allies.

Qatar owns and funds Al Jazeera, the world’s largest source of Islamist propaganda. The emirate spends $400-$500 million per year on the network, making it one of the world’s most well-financed state media companies. Al Jazeera is a platform for global jihad, antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and support for anti-Israel terrorism. It has provided media platforms to Islamist figures ranging from Osama Bin Laden to Muslim Brotherhood leaders, to Jabhat Al-Nusra figures, and runs programming sympathetic to Islamist narratives.

No wonder Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait and the Palestinian Authority have shut down Al Jazeera operations for bias and incitement in their territories.

Last January, Al Jazeera broadcast a special episode of the investigative program “What Is Hidden Is Greater,” reframing the October 7^th massacre as a “legitimate military action,” and justifying it as part of broader resistance against “occupation,” while downplaying or omitting details of civilian atrocities.

Some Al Jazeera staff have even been exposed as terrorists themselves. In October 2024, for example, the IDF revealed it had documents proving that six Al Jazeera “journalists” were operatives for Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Two of these operatives, Hossam Shabat and Anas Al-Sharif, were later killed in targeted Israeli strikes.

How can a country so supportive of Islamist terrorists and Islamist propaganda be America’s ally?

Qatar funds anti-American education at U.S. colleges and universities. In fact, the emirate is the largest foreign donor to U.S. post-secondary institutions, giving them nearly $6.6 billion since 1981, according to a report by the Jewish Virtual Library. According to Open Source Intel, however, as much as $100 billion of Qatari funds to colleges, universities and K-12 schools are undocumented.

At Brown University, a program called the Choices Program, led by Professor Omer Bartov, who falsely argues that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, received a billion dollars from Qatar. They are also creating a curriculum for over 8,000 schools across the country that erases the presence of Jews, Christians, and other minorities in the Middle East, and indoctrinates American children with antisemitic, anti-Christian, anti-democratic ideas.

Clearly, a country that funds education undermining core American values—and U.S. ally Israel—is no friend of the U.S.

Qatar buys and hires its way into high-echelon American politics. For instance, the emirate recently tried to gain favor with President Trump by gifting him a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 jet.

Members of Trump’s inner circle have also been subject to Qatar’s influence. For example, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, sold a hotel he owned in New York, which was causing him financial and legal grief, to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund for $623 million. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi previously worked as a foreign lobbyist for Qatar, earning $115,000 a month between 2020 and 2022. Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff, was co-chair of a lobbying firm at the time it represented Qatar’s embassy in Washington DC, and FBI director Kash Patel once served as a Qatar embassy security and intelligence consultant. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, Qatar has a list of 250 people in Trump’s inner circle who could influence him. Such compromised relationships strain propriety and credibility.

Qatar claims to be an ally of the U.S., but doesn’t behave like one. Indeed, what kind of ally finances and shelters terrorists, funds anti-American and anti-Israel educational programs, and sponsors the world’s leading source of Islamist propaganda while using its vast wealth to convince America’s leaders to look the other way? This is not the behavior of an ally, but of an enemy.

Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that Qatar’s behavior is unacceptable and contrary to American interests. We cannot tolerate terrorists taking refuge within Qatar’s borders, its financing of Middle East terrorist groups, its financial support for anti-Americanism at U.S. colleges and universities, and its efforts to buy influence with America’s leaders. Time to divest from Qatar.

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,
Jason Shvili, Contributing Editor
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.      Surely you’ve recently read of some celebrity, politician, radical student, foreign head of state or media pundit slander Israel with the “Gaza genocide” lie. Many who spread this lie are ignorant, but most are anti-Israel haters. They care nothing for the truth. The tragedy is, when they utter the Gaza genocide falsehood, too few knowledgeable people—and virtually no media—stand up to refute it. Indeed, when you share the simple facts, the genocide lie crumbles. Upon learning that Israel conducts its war against Hamas terrorists with the highest ethical standards—and that nothing Israel does in Gaza fits the definition of genocide—fair-minded people quickly see through the lie. I hope you’ll agree that we supporters of the Israel-U.S. relationship need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“Facts Shatter Gaza Genocide Lies”—describes what genocide is and is not and proves factually that Israel’s tactics in the war are ethical and righteous. It also reveals demographic data showing that the Palestinian population in Gaza is actually increasing. Finally, it notes that those who spread the Gaza genocide lie fit the classic definition of antisemites. Please review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME is about 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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