Qatar has temporarily suspended its close relationship with Palestinian terror group Hamas, according to an Arabic newspaper. The policy comes as Doha has attempted to strengthen its relationship with the new government of Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Doha’s relationship with Egypt has been strained since the fall from power of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. During the Brotherhood’s reign, Egypt devolved into a state of chaos in which Coptic Christians became second-class citizens overnight and terrorists such as the “Blind Sheikh” and Al Qaeda operatives were offered safe haven in Cairo.
Kuwait’s Al-Jarida news said that Qatar has pledged to help stop Gaza terror group Hamas’s incitement against the Egyptian military. They also would help crack down on the illegal smuggling of weapons into Gaza from the Sinai Peninsula, according to the report.
Hamas and other terror groups such as ISIS-affiliated Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, have carried out recent attacks against the Egyptian military that have resulted in the deaths of dozens.
In September, Egypt’s Sisi said that Qatar was attempting to “spread chaos among the Arab nation” in an attempt to “destabilize Egypt and [destroy] the Egyptians.”
Al-Jarida news reported that a delegation of top officials will meet in Cairo next week to discuss the bettering of relations between the two states.
The government of Qatar has been accused of having top officials in their ranks who finance terror groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Doha is also home to the Al Jazeera Media Network, which has a well-documented record of showcasing pro-Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood biases.
Although Qatar’s troubling relationships with radical groups remain well and alive, the United States continues to view Doha as an ally. In July, the United States signed a massive $11 billion dollar weapons deal with Qatar that included the sale of Apache Helicopters and Patriot Missile systems.