Qatar Supports Hamas and Gets Away with It

Before it can address long-term concerns, Jerusalem must work through some more immediate problems. One of those is Qatar, which the Biden administration gave the coveted status of a “major non-NATO ally” in January of 2022, despite the fact that it maintains cordial relations with Iran and the Taliban. The U.S. does have an important air-force base in the country, and Israel has cooperated with Qatar in getting aid money into the Gaza Strip. Yet Doha funds Hamas generously, provides its seniormost leadership with a safe haven, and supports it through its state-run media corporations (including Al Jazeera). So long as Washington continues to consider the peninsular emirate a partner, it is difficult to imagine Israel retaliating against it.