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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Why Qatar and Turkey Can't Solve the Crisis in Gaza

Why Qatar and Turkey Can't Solve the Crisis in Gaza

07/23/14
David Andrew Weinberg, Jonathan Schanzer
Security, Terrorism, Foreign Policy, Turkey, Qatar, Israel, Palestinian territories, United States

A bad idea.

With Washington desperate for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and with Egypt having flamed out as a broker of calm, two of Hamas’s top patrons are about to be rewarded with a high-profile diplomatic victory. U.S. and Israeli media are now reporting that the White House may be looking to Qatar and Turkey to help negotiate an end to the hostilities. Qatar, in fact, held a high-profile cease-fire summit in Doha on Sunday that included Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the Norwegian foreign minister, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshal.
No progress was reported on Sunday. But using the good offices of Qatar is a huge mistake. The same goes for Turkey. In exchange for fleeting calm, the United States will have effectively given approval to these allies-cum-frenemies to continue their respective roles as sponsors of Hamas, which is a designated terrorist group in the United States.
Since a visit to Turkey by Qatar’s ruler Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and amidst reports that Meshal has been shuttling between the two countries, Doha and Ankara have been floating terms of a joint cease-fire proposal that would reportedly grant Hamas significant benefits. Specifically, the deal would grant Hamas an open border in Gaza that would allow the group to continue to smuggle rockets and other advanced weaponry at an ever alarming pace.
The Israelis see this as a nonstarter. But the White House is nevertheless working the phones with Qatar and Turkey to see if a deal can be struck.
Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-qatar-turkey-cant-solve-the-crisis-gaza-10930

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