WASHINGTON — Qatar has told Palestinian militant group Hamas to leave the country, two US officials confirmed to Al-Monitor.
The Persian Gulf state has for more than a decade hosted Hamas’ political office in Doha. Along with Egypt, Qatar has facilitated the indirect negotiations between Israel and the militants over a possible cease-fire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip.
As the hostage talks faltered earlier this year, congressional Republicans and some Democrats accused Qatar of failing to leverage its relationship with the US-designated terrorist group. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, a group of 14 Senate Republicans called for the extradition of Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshal and for the administration to “ask Qatar to end its hospitality of Hamas’ senior leadership.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said Hamas’ expulsion had been under discussion for some time, following the latest collapse of Gaza cease-fire talks, and had advanced in the past week.
“It wasn’t an ask,” a second US official said. “The message relayed to Hamas from Qatar was essentially ‘pack your bags and get out.’”
Qatar frequently acts as an intermediary for the United States and its adversaries, including Russia and Iran as well as regional Islamist movements. It says the Obama administration requested that Qatar host Hamas’ self-exiled political leaders so that indirect lines of communication could be established with the militants.
A representative for the Qatari Embassy in Washington did not return a request for comment.