'It's time to rip Qatar's mask off'
Col. (ret.) Yigal Carmon, who predicted the war, warns that Qatar and Hamas are one and the same, urging hostage families to help expose Doha's true nature rather than trust it as mediator.
Israel Hayom
Nov 1, 2024
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani together with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Qatari capital Doha on Oct 24, 2024
Col. (ret.) Yigal Carmon, one of the few who predicted and warned about the war, is now convinced, a year after the conflict began, that renewing Qatar's role in attempting to restart hostage release negotiations is a grave mistake. He believes nothing positive can come from Mossad Chief Dadi Barnea's Qatar trip on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's behalf.
"Qatar," warns Carmon, "is anything but an honest broker. Qatar and Hamas are one and the same, with abundant evidence to prove it. The path to releasing the hostages lies in applying massive pressure on Qatar and its rulers, both through US public opinion and through the hostages' families, exposing it as a state sponsor of terrorism. Qatar isn't a mediator – it's a fake mediator. It's an enemy state whose mask must be torn off."
Carmon's voice deserves attention, even for those who disagree. He writes these words, and much more, in a letter sent to hostage families and negotiation leaders, during the same week that Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the powerful figure in Qatar's government (mother of Qatar's Emir), expressed mourning over the elimination of Hamas leader and Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar, while dozens of Qatari influencers share their admiration for the arch-terrorist Sinwar and their grief over his death.
Carmon, who has earned a reputation as a nonconformist unafraid to challenge the system he was once part of – having served as terrorism advisor to prime ministers Shamir and Rabin and as acting head of the Civil Administration – is once again pursuing his professional truth to its fullest extent.
Qatar, he explains, not for the first time, is "an enemy state responsible for building Hamas' power and strength with billions of dollars over a decade. Qatar has worked against Israel in every international forum, serves as a base for Hamas leadership for years, and operates its antisemitic propaganda arm, Al Jazeera, which provides Hamas with daily operational intelligence and serves as a central platform for Hamas propaganda and psychological warfare – including psychological terror videos targeting hostage families.
"I don't want to discourage hostage families who place hope in the Qatar talks," Carmon clarifies, "and I apologize to them in advance, but they need to know the truth, as this is the only way to advance the return of our loved ones."
Q: And what is the truth?
"The truth is that both academic researchers and security and intelligence agencies – Military Intelligence, Shin Bet, and Mossad – have shown shocking ignorance over the years, failing to identify Qatar's role as the primary promoter of Islamic terrorism worldwide, and even cooperating with it at various levels. The worst collaboration was the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas-controlled Gaza by the Mossad. This was done according to Israeli government policy. This cooperation is the main reason why Qatar's image in Israeli public opinion is that of a 'mediator' rather than an enemy state, which is what it should be. The Israeli government and other entities involved in legitimizing Qatar are now hiding its true identity from the Israeli public."
Q: But wasn't Qatar involved in releasing hostages in the previous deal?
"No. In the previous deal, Qatar represented Hamas' interests, while the US represented Israel's interests. That's why the previous deal was relatively limited."
Hostages' Fate in Qatar's Hands
Carmon is convinced that the government avoids pressuring Qatar because its senior officials are "captive" to the emirate's leaders. "If they expose Qatar as a state sponsor of terrorism, it will reveal their own responsibility for financing Hamas' military buildup over more than a decade – a buildup done with their approval and practical assistance: 500 kilometers of tunnels, tens of thousands of terrorists, thousands of missiles and rockets, and massive amounts of ammunition. When former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen hinted that cooperation with Qatar in transferring money to Hamas-controlled Gaza was a mistake, Qatar quickly leaked Cohen's own letter of appreciation to Qatar's leadership, thanking them for their contribution to 'security and stability' in the region. They did the same with a senior National Security Council official. They will do it again and expose even more embarrassing materials about other Israeli officials, including political leaders, if they dare to unmask Qatar."
Q: What exactly are you proposing the Israeli government do about the hostages – if not Qatar, then who?
"First, we must acknowledge Qatar as an enemy and declare this diplomatically and in the media, stop presenting it as a mediator, stop misleading the public and hostage families. Next, cut all ties with them. If mediation is needed, and it probably is, there's Egypt. There are also the Emirates. They have their flaws, but at least they haven't promoted extreme Islam worldwide like Qatar. Third – instead of a policy of pleading with Qatar while upgrading its status from a terrorist state to a legitimate mediator, Israel should act against it through all possible channels, exactly as it does with other enemy states. We need to make clear in every international forum that we see Qatar as primarily responsible for the hostages' fate, and that the death of additional hostages will lead to severe consequences for Qatar itself."
"Furthermore, Hamas leaders in Qatar should understand they're no longer immune. Khaled Mashal should be eliminated on Qatari soil. The prime minister declared that Hamas leaders will be eliminated wherever they are. Qatar should be included in the definition of 'wherever.' There's no reason for Hamas leaders to have immunity there – quite the opposite."
Q: If Qatar is Hamas' patron and part of the system promoting extreme Islam – why would they respond to such pressure?
"First, because the pressure would threaten their very existence. Qatar has 200,000 citizens and 2 million foreigners who came there to make money. Once they realize their livelihoods and profits are at risk, they'll migrate to other Gulf locations, dealing Qatar a fatal blow. Second – Qatar's very existence largely depends on its image in Western eyes. Qatar has poured billions of dollars into the US and Europe building this image – in academia, media, sports, and politics. Through these massive investments, Qatar has managed to erase from the West's collective memory its connection to both World Trade Center attacks and the fact that it's Hamas' patron – Hamas, which massacred our children, women, and elderly. Third – the US CENTCOM base in Qatar effectively guarantees its existence. Without CENTCOM, Qatar would have been conquered long ago."
"Seven years ago, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt declared a complete boycott of Qatar due to its support of various jihad organizations, including Hamas. The US then came to Qatar's rescue – and the boycott was lifted. If the Americans threaten to move the CENTCOM base to a neighboring country, Qatar will pressure Hamas in ways that will force them to release hostages. Qatar is the key to freeing the hostages, but not as a mediator – rather as the party responsible for their continued captivity – soldiers are sacrificing their lives without knowing the hostages could be saved without such sacrifice."
Hamas' lifeline
Hamas, according to Carmon, is completely dependent on Qatar – "its lifeline." "Qatar is Hamas' past, and also its future and rehabilitation, its very existence. Without Qatar, Hamas has no life. Qatar transformed Hamas from a marginal terrorist organization into a highly influential factor in the West, for which masses demonstrate."
Q: And will the Americans cooperate and fulfill their part in the scenario you present here?
"Yes. Eventually yes, if we work directly with public opinion there and in Congress. I have no expectations that the administration will change on its own initiative. It has worked for the last three decades to whitewash Qatar's crimes. It will reassess, and maybe even consider Saudi Arabia's and the Emirates' request to transfer the CENTCOM base to one of them, only if US public opinion is exposed to Qatar's crimes. The hostage families have tremendous power they're unaware of. They can drive such a movement. If they want help – I'm at their disposal, and even ready to lead a dedicated operations room focused solely on exposing Qatar's true nature and applying direct and indirect pressure on it."
There's a certain contradiction in Carmon's words: if, as he claims, Israeli leadership fears acting because their role in building Hamas' power with Qatari help might be fully exposed – then how exactly would this initiative move forward? Carmon is aware of this. He suggests that hostage families should lead the activity, again offering help: "The hostage issue is a humanitarian matter likely to attract many supporters from both sides of the political spectrum in the US. Many volunteers will step up to help in various ways. The open account that 9/11 victims have with Qatar over its involvement in the World Trade Center terror attacks is also likely to resonate in the Israeli struggle to free the hostages."
Carmon proposes recruiting foreign professional entities to pressure Qatar's economy in various ways, as well as assembling a team of lawyers to wage legal warfare against Qatar in Western courts, aiming "to expose and prove," in his words, "Qatar's share of responsibility for the October 7 massacre."
Meanwhile, Carmon and Middle East Media Research Institute researchers aren't sitting idle. In recent years, they've published various reports and materials (accompanied by their source lists) regarding "Qatar's sponsorship of Islamist terror organizations, both Sunni and Shiite, including, according to MEMRI: ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansar-Allah (Houthis), Taliban, Jabhat al-Nusra, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and Islamist militias in northern Mali." Qatar, Carmon notes, "hosts terror financiers in its territory – according to a UN report itself, and according to a report by the former US Deputy Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence."
In August 2021, according to MEMRI, "Qatar facilitated the replacement of the secular, democratically elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani through a violent coup by the Taliban terror organization, which Qatar had supported for years and whose political headquarters operated in Doha. Since Qatar supported this violent coup, as well as the organization itself for years," according to MEMRI, "it bears responsibility for the deaths of 13 American soldiers killed during the violent takeover (and through its support of the Taliban over the years, Qatar is also responsible for all US military casualties in this arena). It transferred billions of dollars to Hamas over more than a decade, which ultimately funded the murder of more than 30 American passport holders in Gaza border communities and the kidnapping of 11 others during the Oct. 7 attack."
Between Desirable and Feasible Moreover
According to Carmon and MEMRI, "Qatar even dared to bribe Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who was convicted in court of accepting bribes. Another striking example of such illegal activity is Qatar's engagement with former CIA operative Kevin Chalker, who was hired to spy on Republican Senators from Texas and Arizona (Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton), as well as Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and former Congressman Ed Royce, who previously served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"These American public officials were targeted for potential surveillance and espionage due to their congressional and senate activities against Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar has provided various grants to American universities totaling $4.7 billion – funding whose results are evident today in the wave of violent, pro-Hamas and antisemitic protests sweeping US campuses."
Carmon sent his blueprint for exposing Qatar's true face and creating intense pressure on it – all to advance hostage release – this week to government officials and the hostage families' headquarters. He maintains contact, and not just recently, with several of them. Just days ago, his institute published documentation showing how Al Jazeera journalists and Qatar's opinion leaders describe Yahya Sinwar after his death as an exemplary figure and mythological hero who achieved "shahada." Besides the Qatari ruler's mother, these include Al Jazeera personnel and members of the International Union of Muslim Scholars based in Doha. They portrayed Sinwar as an exemplary figure, a leader to be proud of, and a mythological hero who inflicted Israel's greatest military defeat. Many blessed the late Sinwar for achieving the "shahada" he had yearned for all his life, saying that "death for Allah is the highest aspiration."
Sources familiar with the hostage negotiation process briefly addressed Carmon's statements. Reality, they say, consists of both the desirable and the feasible. The wisdom lies in combining the two. Current relations with Qatar are conducted according to political echelon guidelines and direction. Every stone is being turned, including in Qatar, to advance a deal for releasing the hostages.
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