An organization which has been instrumental in securing the release of American hostages from abroad but also gets a great deal of funding from Qatar’s government reportedly lectured families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas not to criticize Qatar, which has financially backed Hamas to the tune of nearly $2 billion since 2007 and also hosts its leaders in Doha.
The Richardson Center for Global Engagement claims it “promotes global peace and dialogue by identifying and working on areas of opportunity for engagement and citizen diplomacy with countries and communities not usually open to more formal diplomatic channels,” as Lahav Harkov reported, noting that the organization repeatedly claimed last year that it “is greatly appreciative of our partners, including the Government of Qatar, and the many individuals who support and enable our work as a non-for-profit.”
As far back as 2019, Harkov pointed out, the Richardson Center revealed a “substantial investment in hostage recovery” from Qatar, as its Executive Director Mickey Bergman said “the funding provided by Qatar will allow us to expand our team, engage in more on the ground activities, and provide even greater support to families in their darkest hours.”
Harkov stated of the hostages’ families, “We are currently working with many of the families. Our only priority is the safe return of the hostages. Due to the sensitivity of the work, we are not able to comment on any of it.”
But a source advising hostages’ families told Jewish Insider the Richardson Center told the families that “pressure on Qatar would be counterproductive because Qatar holds all the leverage.” The source continued, “It’s all a scam on the families, sadly. The one lever not pulled in 10 weeks is pressure on Qatar.”
Another source differed, saying of Bergman, “It’s hard for me to believe that this is in his self-serving interest over funding.”
Seth Frantzman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies said, “While it is imperative that the hostages be released as soon as possible, one should be wary of Doha’s role as both a host of Hamas and a mediator. Hamas has benefited from being hosted in Qatar, seeking legitimization the same way the Taliban did via Doha in the past. It is essential that Qatar give Hamas the cold shoulder and condemn the group’s atrocities.”
Asher Fredma of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, echoed, “Qatar’s ultimate goal is for Hamas to survive and continue to be an Islamist terrorist force in the region, so definitely calling out Qatar is the right thing to do. Qatar is a negative actor that should be treated as such. The U.S. and Israel and all the actors…putting pressure on Qatar is the way to get them to take a more active role with regards to the hostages.”
