Qatar PM says ceasefire ‘shouldn’t be conditioned on hostage deal’

The only actual purpose of a ceasefire without a hostage release is for Hamas to regroup.

By Daniel Greenfield, Frontpage Magazine

Qatar is an Islamic terror state. It’s a very slick terror state that operates through layers of propaganda, it deploys an international news network, Al Jazeera, owns D.C. government think tanks, like Brookings, whose alumni infest the Biden administration, and its own spokesmen excel at lying, dividing and conquering.

But whether it’s the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan or Oct 7, both outcomes of non-Muslim governments trusting Qatar, there’s only one possible outcome. And eventually, Qatar pulls away the bait and there’s only terror.

After months of Qatar pretending to be negotiating with Hamas for the release of the hostages, all of which was conditional on a state of affairs in which Israel temporarily stops fighting Hamas (but in which Hamas will continue to attack Israel) which is misleadingly known as a ceasefire, Qatar pulled away the bait. Again.

Qatar’s prime minister said Saturday that a truce deal between Israel and Hamas “should not be conditioned” on an agreement for the release of hostages.

“This is the dilemma that we’ve been in and unfortunately that’s been misused by a lot of countries, that in order to get a ceasefire, it’s conditional to have the hostage deal. It shouldn’t be conditioned,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Munich Security Conference.

The Qataris are masters of twisting language around, but this is still really something. Qatar’s PM announced that expecting Hamas to release Israeli hostages in exchange for a “ceasefire” is a misuse of a ceasefire.

The only actual purpose of such a ceasefire is for Hamas to regroup.

All of this comes after Qatar did its best to suck in and brainwash as many members of the hostage families as it could, surrounding them with its advisors, urging them to protest against the Israeli government and to demand a hostage release at any cost.

So much for that.

Qatar believes that its influence campaigns in America and Europe have been effective enough that enough countries are willing to sign on to a call for a “ceasefire” that it expects Israel to be pressured into one even without the release of hostages. Since Hamas hasn’t been willing to offer realistic terms anyway, it’s proceeding to Plan B.

As a state sponsor of Hamas, Qatar wants it to win. And that is why it’s demanding a “ceasefire”.

Negotiating with Hamas and Qatar, like all negotiations with terrorists, is always in bad faith. The only way to win a negotiating process with terrorists is not to play.

“First the Qataris promised us they were “strong-arming” Hamas to release American and Israeli hostages. Then they said they have no leverage. Now they’re calling for a ceasefire regardless of whether hostages are released. Enough,” Sen. Ted Budd tweeted. “Qatar is no longer a productive partner in securing the hostages’ freedom. They must expel Hamas terrorists out of their nation immediately, or risk repercussions.”