Role Of Qatar In Mediating Gaza Ceasefire Deal (X image @IsraelVive1948)
Qatar has imprinted its gigantic footsteps in history with the latest Gaza ceasefire deal. Doha, the smallest in comparison with other biggies like UAE, and Saudi Arabia in the arena, has carried out a remarkable feat in achieving the toughest job – getting Hamas and Israel to reach an agreement. Both mediator and a Palestine ally, the country pulled it off with the assistance of Egypt and US.
Right from the beginning of the brutal war which erupted on October 7th, 2023, Qatar held a unique and precarious position. Keeping it up with Hamas, Israel, and US, the gulf nation played a critical role in maneuvering the dangerous fault lines of negotiations.
Qatar’s ascending as mediator was not instant. The history runs decades back, when Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani took power in 1995. The small country read deeper into the art of diplomacy, and understood that it was an essential recipe for its relevance and survival.
The country hosted office of Hamas, and Israel. It also hosts US military sites. It hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the region. It also hosts six major U.S. universities at Doha’s Education City. These installment underscores Qatar’s role as a strong partner of US in the region. It also cements the country’s global engagement.
“For over two decades, Qatar has mediated international conflicts…In that time, we have earned the trust of our allies as a neutral broker, facilitating dialogue, easing tensions, and promoting peaceful resolutions. We believe firmly that mediation is the only path to building trust between conflicting parties. Violence is never the answer”, a Qatari official told VOA News.
Over the time, Qatar also improved its relationship with Egypt, which greatly helped in striking the new ceasefire deal. Relation between Doha and Cairo deteriorated largely with the 2013 ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the Gaza war brought the two together.
Since 2018, the country sent sent billions of dollars in aid to Gaza, supporting civil services and salaries under Hamas. While Israel is aware of this transactions, still held on to Qatar.
The Assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran significantly weakened Qatar’s efforts in negotiation. Haniyeh was living in Qatar and visited Iran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. A week later, Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah was also assassinated. These two incident toppled Qatar’s fragile balance of mediation in the region.
Though Israel highly doubt Qatar, still depend on the small gulf nation for dialogues. This emphasis the prominence of the country as a mediator. Tel Aviv viewed the relation as a way to maintain order in Gaza while containing Hamas, said Gershon Baskin, a veteran Israeli mediator in negotiations with the Palestinians, as quoted by VOA.
