The United States should aggressively push Qatar to imprison Hamas leaders for the hundreds of hostages the terror group is holding in Gaza, according to GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
Top Hamas leaders are currently granted safe haven in Qatar’s capital city of Doha, from which Hamas makes many of its most significant decisions. The city houses the Hamas politburo, the main decision-making body of the terror group. It is comprised of 15 members and is led by chairman Ismail Haniyeh.
“Qatar has blood on its hands. President Biden should demand that Qatar arrest Hamas leaders and seize their assets. He should make this demand every day — twice on Tuesdays — at least until every hostage has been safely returned. If Qatar refuses, there should be consequences,” Lee posted on social media on Sunday.
Qatar has blood on its hands.
President Biden should demand that Qatar arrest Hamas leaders and seize their assets.
He should make this demand every day—twice on Tuesdays—at least until every hostage has been safely returned.
If Qatar refuses, there should be consequences.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) November 26, 2023
Lee has been a vocal critic of Qatar and the Biden administration for treating Doha lightly regarding its ties to terrorism.
“Qatar gives sanctuary to terrorists who committed war crimes against American and Israeli citizens. The United States should revisit its [cozy] relationship with Qatar,” Lee said in another Sunday post.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and took roughly 240 people hostages, largely civilians, before returning to Gaza. The hostages include 33 children. Israel negotiated an agreement last week for a temporary pause in fighting in exchange for 50 of the hostages to be released.
The Biden administration has recently begun to push Israel to allow for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting to allow for more aid to reach Palestinian civilians. Critics of the Biden administration pressure have pointed out that much of the aid sent to Gaza has been confiscated by Hamas, which is believed to have ample resources and fuel stashed in an extensive tunnel network spread throughout the Gaza Strip.
“Why does President Biden seem to put more pressure on Israel than on Qatar, which provides sanctuary to the terrorists who comprise the Hamas leadership?” Lee said.
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“Israel knows what it needs to do to defeat Hamas,” he added. “President Biden doesn’t. He should let Israel fight this war. If he wants to apply pressure to solve this problem, he should focus on Hamas and its enablers in Iran, Qatar, and Russia, just to name a few.”
Hamas’ ties to Qatar have been a boon for the terror group. For its part, the country has claimed that its connections to terror leaders are an aid to Western nations. Qatar has maintained ties to Middle East terror networks, claiming to be a moderating force among the Arab world’s most extreme elements.