Qatar cannot defy US pressure; Hamas office moving to Iraq
By Syed Ali
Hassan
Iran Daily’s correspondent
in Pakistan
Qatar wants to avoid the policy of pressuring Hamas into accepting a ceasefire agreement as per American conditions. The US has asked Qatar to gradually withdraw the facilities provided to Hamas’s political office in Doha as a strategy to pressure the Palestinian resistance movement into accepting the US-proposed ceasefire agreement. Consequently, Hamas leadership has initiated the plan to move its political office from Qatar to Iraq. The Iraqi government, perceiving the pressure from US and Qatari officials on Hamas to accept the ceasefire, approved the move last month. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh revealed during negotiations with representatives from the Iraqi and Iranian governments that Hamas would not accept the US-proposed ceasefire terms, and Qatar would not be able to withstand American pressure, necessitating the partial closure of its political office in Doha. This could limit Hamas’s political activities and media access. A senior Iraqi MP and a political figure with close ties to the resistance group confirmed the decision to move Hamas’s political office to Baghdad. Last month, Ismail Haniyeh and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had a significant meeting, resulting in the decision to move the Hamas’s political office to Baghdad.
The senior Iraqi MP stated that Kurdish and secular Sunni parties are concerned that the decision by the Baghdad government will increase tensions with the US. However, despite the lack of consensus, the government’s decision to host Hamas will not be reversed. Hamas has yet to set a date for the move and the functioning of the office but expects the process to be completed soon. He added that Hamas sent a delegation led by senior official Mohammed Al Hafy to Baghdad this month to manage office affairs, and the media office in Baghdad will become operational in the coming weeks. The Iraqi government has refrained from commenting on the situation, stating that the Iraqi government and people stand with Hamas and the oppressed Palestinians. It is noteworthy that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar are at a standstill. Senior US officials have blamed Hamas for the impasse. President Joe Biden’s proposed conditions for ending the war seem to benefit Israel, resulting in the deaths of over 37,500 Palestinians, including many women and children, since October last year. After Hamas effectively rejected Biden’s ceasefire terms earlier this month, there has been no significant contact between mediators, Hamas, and Israel.
Hamas has made it clear that it will not accept any ceasefire agreement without including the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and fundamental ceasefire terms. Israel aims to end Hamas’s governance in Gaza and hand control to compliant elements, similar to the Palestinian Authority, to suppress resistance against Israel. Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007, and its political leaders have resided in Qatar since 2012.
Previously, Hamas expressed a desire to move its headquarters to Turkey, but diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel, and the presence of Israeli agents in Turkey, inclined Hamas towards choosing Baghdad. Doha, home to the largest US military base in the Middle East and a close ally of Washington, has long supported Hamas’s governance in Gaza financially, while Qatar also maintains warm relations with Iran, Hamas’s major supporter.
Moving Hamas’s political office to Iraq will reduce American pressure on the Gaza-based resistance movement, while providing the US with an opportunity to persuade Israel of a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of occupation forces, which is challenging but not impossible.