Qatari Emir’s Speech at UN Showed Its Loyalty to Hamas; We Must Respond

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has once again accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.

In his recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly, al-Thani refused to condemn Hamas — the Iran-backed terror group that instigated the war on October 7, 2023. Instead, he condemned the Jewish State for what he described as “the most barbaric and heinous and extensive” violations of “human values, international charters and norms.”

Al-Thani’s speech demonstrates that Qatar remains loyal to Hamas’ narrative of events in the Middle East, and should not be trusted as an impartial interlocutor between Israel and the terrorist organization.

During this speech, al-Thani never mentioned that Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped some 250 others on October 7.

He never mentioned that the United Nations itself released a report in March delineating “clear and convincing” evidence that Hamas terrorists committed widespread sexual crimes on October 7.

He never mentioned the extraordinary steps that Israel has taken to limit civilian casualties in a combat zone, while Hamas uses schools, hospitals, and even children’s bedrooms as human shields.

Brushing aside the ongoing threat of Iranian-backed terrorism, al-Thani proceeded to applaud Palestinians in Gaza for the enclave’s “remarkable development” over the past 17 years, neglecting to mention that Hamas invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building terrorist infrastructure rather than investing in the economy. He also decried the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, whom the emir styled as a legitimate political official. And al-Thani referred to all Palestinians killed in Gaza as “martyrs,” ignoring the fact that thousands of fatalities were Hamas terrorists.

Next, al-Thani criticized Israel for “waging war on Lebanon,” while failing to mention that Hezbollah initiated the war by launching rockets and drones daily at northern Israel since October 8, 2023, displacing at least 60,000 civilians from their homes, and killing dozens. Furthermore, Israel has made it clear that Israel’s conflict is with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon. But that’s apparently lost on al-Thani. He didn’t even name Hezbollah once in his UN address.

Conveniently disregarding the facts, the emir insisted that Israel’s detonation of thousands of communication devices carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon was a “major crime” conducted with “total disregard” for the victims’ “identity or location.” In reality, the attacks are considered the most strictly-limited widespread attack on a terrorist organization in history.

With the region on the precipice of a broader war, al-Thani warned that the violence must stop.

“This is the choice before Israel,” he said, adding that “the State of Qatar will spare no effort in working with its international partners and the United Nations to firmly consolidate the pillars of peace, security, sustainable development, human rights, and the rule of law.”

Placing the onus on Israel to end the war disregards reality, in which Iran’s Axis of Aggression deliberately initiated — unprovoked — a conflict that has targeted not only Israelis, but Americans and other free people around the world as well.

Al-Thani’s assertion that Qatar is committed to peace, security, and human rights is just as deceptive. Qatar harbors Hamas leaders and financiers, provides financial support to Gaza’s Hamas-run government, and amplifies Hamas propaganda on Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the Qatari government continues to abuse the rights of its own population.

In a 2023 report, the US State Department noted “significant human rights issues” in Qatar, including “credible reports” of abuses like “enforced disappearance,” “arbitrary arrest,” and “extensive gender-based violence.”

In the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, Doha came under the spotlight for exploiting migrant workers employed to construct soccer stadiums, by forcing them to work overtime under the blazing sun, often without compensation.

Still, the Biden administration continues to express gratitude to Qatar, and confidence in Doha’s diplomatic services.

On September 25 — one day after al-Thani spoke at the UN — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington remains “grateful” to “our friends from Qatar” for their “tireless efforts to get a ceasefire.” Notably, the administration admitted Qatar to the US Visa Waiver Program, which will allow Qatari citizens to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Blinken said Qatar’s participation in the program “will deepen our strategic partnership and enhance the flow of people and commerce between our two countries.”

The Biden administration must get sober about its partners in Doha. Al-Thani’s UN speech demonstrates that Qatar remains wedded to Hamas’ ideology and should not be trusted as an honest broker or reliable ally of the United States.

Natalie Ecanow is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow.

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