Qatar changes policy: Meeting with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya presented in official format | Exclusive
Qatar has changed its media policy and has begun publicly highlighting its meetings with senior Hamas officials, in contrast to recent years when it was cautious about images emerging from Doha. The meeting in Doha between Qatar's Prime Minister and Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, was presented in a distinctly official format and documented with rapid distribution. The move comes against the backdrop of Jared Kushner's meeting with Hamas and Israeli concerns, and sends a regional message about continued direct Qatari involvement with the organization.
Qatar has changed its media policy and has begun publicly highlighting its meetings with senior Hamas officials, in contrast to recent years when it was cautious about images emerging from Doha. The meeting in Doha between Qatar's Prime Minister and Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, was presented in a distinctly official format and documented with rapid distribution. The move comes against the backdrop of Jared Kushner's meeting with Hamas, which lowered the political price Qatar might pay for such images. The Qataris need to show Hamas and the Arab public that they do not accept continued Israeli freedom of action in the Strip, while simultaneously being careful not to harm their standing in Washington. Qatar's Prime Minister left after the meeting for Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in close coordination with the Saudi Foreign Minister, as part of regional mediation efforts. Dr. Ariel Admoni from Ariel University says that Qatar is careful to highlight its ties with Hamas, while justifying them as being done for the sake of mediation and with American approval.