ONCE again, the small state of Qatar in the Persian Gulf is at the front and centre of mediation to broker a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel with the US and Egypt also playing crucial roles. Media reports indicate that the US President directly spoke with the Emir of Qatar asking him to use his good offices with Hamas leadership to iron out the last remaining wrinkles in the deal. As such Qatar’s role was indispensable in negotiating, concluding, and implementing this complex deal.
As of 27 November 2023, the first stage of the agreement was well in progress with the four-day pause in fighting mostly holding, the exchange of some captives between Israel and Hamas concluded and hundreds of trucks with humanitarian supplies rolling into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Earlier Qatar also played a key role with Egypt in negotiating the release of four Israeli and American captives and the exit of foreign nationals and injured Palestinians from Gaza after the Israeli bombardment began.
This is not the first time Qatar played a mediator’s role in resolving a conflict. In 2008, Qatar mediated between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to avert a civil war between warring factions. In 2012, Qatar tried to mediate between Hamas and PLO which controlled Gaza and the West Bank respectively to mend their differences and form a unity government in the two regions. The agreement later fell apart due to internal differences in the two groups.
When the US came to the conclusion that it could not win a military war in Afghanistan it reached out to Qatar to facilitate negotiations with the Taliban in Doha where Qatar had allowed the Taliban to open a political office some years ago. After lengthy negotiations, an agreement was reached between the parties in 2020 during the final year of the Trump Administration to end the war, withdraw the US forces, and the Taliban taking over the government. Then in September 2023, Qatar mediated a deal between the US and Iran for the release of five Americans held in Iranian prisons and the unfreezing by the US of $6 billion in Iranian funds. This cemented Qatar’s status as a key ally to Washington in the Persian Gulf region.
Qatar is located on a peninsula and shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia in the south and is surrounded by the Persian Gulf on the other three sides. It does not have any territorial disputes with any country. The population is about 2.7 million out of which only about 400,000 are Qatari citizens and the rest, about 85% are foreign workers to keep the economy growing. Its citizens enjoy a prosperous lifestyle with free education, healthcare, and many other benefits. The country has one of the largest gas reserves and significant oil reserves. It is a major exporter of liquefied natural gas.
Even without the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict, the Middle East and Persian Gulf region is a volatile area of several authoritative states with ideological differences, sectarian and ethnic issues, active militia groups, proxy wars, the widening gap between the rich and poor nations, and sporadic uprisings of people against their rulers. Not to mention all this happening in the middle of vast reserves of oil and gas on which the western countries and world economies depend so much. Qatar has managed to stay out of any conflict and in fact, maintained cordial relations with most of the rivalling nations. It hosts the largest military base for the US military in the region while at the same time allowing the Taliban to open a political office in Doha and providing a home to Hamas leadership in Qatar. It has been a major donor of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank for years.
From its energy industry, Qatar has accumulated massive surplus funds which it has been investing in the US, Europe, and other countries. It is, therefore, in its strategic interest to maintain good relationships with other countries to ensure continued access to future investment opportunities. Conflict mediation efforts provide Qatar with important recognition around the world and have helped it emerge as a middle power in the Middle East. Along the way, it has earned a few IOUs which will come in handy in any future difficult situations.
—The writer is a retired engineer.
Email: zahid110@gmail.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
