Qatar’s dirty secret: Terror financing as diplomacy

Qatar’s leaders were quick to denounce Israel for “state terrorism” after Tuesday’s strike on Hamas officials in Doha.

Yet the outrage coming from Doha rings hollow. For years, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has played a reckless game: financing, sheltering, and legitimizing extremist movements from Gaza to Kabul. Hamas is only the most visible example.

Doha has become a revolving door for the leaders of violent groups — from the Taliban in Afghanistan to the Houthis in Yemen, from armed factions in Africa like the M23 to various jihadist movements across the Sahel. They come not for dialogue, but for cash, safe haven, and political cover. Qatar’s vast financial largesse, far from being a secret, has been openly used to buy influence, cast itself as a mediator, and polish its global image.

This “diplomatic marketing”, as some observers call it, has won Qatar headlines and photo opportunities, but at a grave cost. By cultivating relationships with organizations designated as terrorist groups by much of the world, Doha has not only undermined regional stability, it has made itself a hub in the shadow economy of extremism.

The attack in Doha is a direct consequence of Qatar’s own policies. When you welcome the likes of Hamas with open arms, you cannot be surprised when their enemies follow them to your doorstep.

Qatar wants to have it both ways: fund the arsonists, then pose as the fireman. But this double game cannot last forever. A country cannot demand respect on the international stage while simultaneously enabling groups whose very mission is to sow chaos and bloodshed.

If Doha is genuinely shocked by Israeli strikes on its soil, then perhaps it is time for the Emir to rethink his strategy. Hosting terrorists is not diplomacy. Financing them is not mediation. It is complicity. And it is dangerous — not only for Qatar’s neighbors, but for Qatar itself.