Photo by Aerra Carnicom – This image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this file:, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia
The emirate of Qatar continues to play an outsized role in the diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza. Over the weekend, these efforts once again failed to end the crisis and release the remaining 50 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. This failure should not come as a surprise. Qatar has been a loyal patron to the terrorist group since 1999. The energy rich regime is more committed to the survival of its terror proxy in Gaza than it is to regional peace.
Qatar’s Support for Hamas Predates the Group’s Gaza Reign
Qatar’s support for Hamas predates the terrorist organization’s takeover of Gaza in 2007. When Jordan expelled Hamas in 1999, Qatar offered sanctuary to the group, which had already become notorious for using suicide bombing attacks over the previous decade. Qatar’s foreign minister said that Hamas officials were “welcome as guests in Qatar” but that Doha would “not allow any political activity from the country [sic].”
Hamas chose to relocate to Syria. However, that arrangement lasted for only a decade. With the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the terror group found its way back to Qatar.
This did not mean that Qatar pared back its support for the group. In 2003, Hamas leaders reportedly convened in Qatar after the IDF attempted to eliminate Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin following a Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed seven people, including two American citizens.
This episode led to one of the first efforts by Qatar to advocate for its terror proxy. The regime in Doha stepped in and tried to negotiate an end to the second intifada (a campaign of terrorist attacks led by Hamas in Israel from 2000 to 2005) by asking Israel to refrain from targeting the terrorist group’s leaders. At the time, Israeli media reported that “Qatar has some influence on Hamas’ decision-making process, largely because a significant portion of the Islamic organization’s funds come from Qatari sources.”
Qatar Financed Hamas After the Group Seized Gaza
In 2006, Hamas swept the Palestinian elections that followed Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza the previous year. After a political standoff with the rival Palestinian faction Fatah, Hamas waged a bloody civil war and seized control of Gaza in 2007. Qatar sided with Hamas and endorsed the terrorist group’s power grab. In 2012, former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was the first world leader to visit Gaza under Hamas rule. The terrorist group welcomed Sheikh Hamad to the strip with fanfare. The government of Qatar pledged $400 million in assistance to the terrorist-controlled government now overseeing Gaza. A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the emir had “thrown peace under the bus” and that “most of the money that he’s pouring in Gaza will go to Hamas pockets, directly or indirectly.”
Thirteen years and five wars between Hamas and Israel later, Qatar’s support for Hamas has not waned. Qatar has pumped an estimated $1.8 billion into Hamas-run Gaza since 2012. In 2018, Doha began transferring an estimated $30 million per month to Gaza to purportedly help the Hamas government subsidize civil servant salaries. The Israeli government approved the transfers in a failed bid to prevent future wars. This would come back to haunt the Israelis in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led atrocities.
Israel paused the suitcase deliveries after Hamas dragged Israel into an eleven-day war in May 2021. But Qatar found a workaround: in cooperation with Egypt, Qatar began providing fuel to Gaza that Hamas authorities could sell for cash. Within months, however, normal Qatari cash deliveries resumed.
Qatar Funded Hamas Terrorism
Since October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has recovered documents in Gaza that refute Qatar’s longstanding claim that no “aid has ever been delivered to Hamas’s political or military wing.” In 2019, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly told Qatar’s foreign minister that Doha was “Hamas’s main artery” for fundraising. Haniyeh wrote to then-Hamas Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, in 2021 to tell him that Qatar’s emir had “agreed in principle to supply the resistance discreetly,” and that $11 million had already “been raised from the emir for the leadership of the movement.”
The documents support the Israeli Shin Bet internal security agency’s finding that “the flow of money from Qatar to Gaza and its delivery to Hamas’s military wing” enabled Hamas to amass offensive power and launch its October 7, 2023, attack. A group of veteran American and Israeli intelligence officials likewise concluded in April 2024 that “the vast majority of funds Qatar was sending to Gaza were going to assist Hamas’s terror infrastructure, weapons, and training.”
The Hamas Presence in Doha
In 2012, as the terrorist group moved its headquarters from Syria to Qatar, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh gushed that “all of Doha is an office” for Hamas, “thanks to the love and cordiality that the Qatari leaders have provided for the Palestinians.”
To this day, Qatari officials maintain that the office came at the “request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas.” However, an Obama White House official asserted that there was never any request from Washington. Even after the October 7, 2023, Hamas slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251, Qatar has continued to allow Hamas to operate on its soil.
Inexplicably, the United States government continues to rely on Qatar to negotiate for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, even as the regime hosts the terror group’s political elite — including Khaled Meshaal, whom the U.S. Department of Justice charged in September 2024 with terrorism, murder conspiracy, and sanctions evasion. Qatar, which was awarded the status of “major non-NATO ally” by Washington, has not offered to turn Meshaal over to U.S. authorities. This alone is a compelling reason for Congress to review Qatar’s status.
A Reckoning is Needed
Qatar has long been identified as a jurisdiction of illicit finance benefitting a wide range of terrorist groups beyond Hamas, including the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, and others. The Persian Gulf emirate has somehow also found a way to fund American institutions of higher education, as well as K-12 schools across the country. A reckoning is needed between our two countries. Congressional hearings, legislation, executive orders, and other measures to regulate relations between our countries are long overdue.
Why do we still agree not to touch Hamas leaders living in luxury in high class hotels in Qatar?
(cont.) I recall a Canadian Anarchist Babylon Bee-like satirical magazine in the late ’70s that had a glossy cover ad purporting to promote an obvously fake consulting company that promised to re-make you, the client, into the revolutionary leader of your choice, “Party-Builders, Associates’ inc.” There was a big black cutout where a picture of Chairman Mao obviously once was and underneath it the caption, “You too can lead your very own Genuinely Revolutionary Party.” “Your Face, here.” I asked AI about it and got:
“No results meet your query.”
seriously though, the thought occurs that what if this kind of tomfoolery gave serious people, thinking outside the box, serious ideas leading to our dystopian present?
I’m thinking about all those glossy pre-fab “occupy wall street” color-revolution materials that were recycled so many times here in the U.S. and in Israel, in fact, globally, for example in one unrelated trigger issue for coordinated mass hysteria and insurrection after another that have been turned on and off on a dime, like shutting off a faucet or opening and redirecting it.
“AI Overview
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In “The Return of the Archons,” a Star Trek: The Original Series episode, the “Festival” is a yearly event on the planet Beta III where the inhabitants are allowed to engage in acts of violence and chaos, seemingly as a release valve for their suppressed emotions under the control of the computer Landru. This festival, which begins at “The Red Hour,” is a crucial part of the planet’s social order, designed to maintain Landru’s control by allowing for a temporary and controlled outburst of negative emotions.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Landru’s Control:
The planet Beta III is ruled by the computer Landru, which enforces a strict, emotionless society focused on order and obedience.
Purpose of the Festival:
The Festival provides a sanctioned outlet for the pent-up emotions and desires of the population, preventing them from erupting in more disruptive ways during the rest of the year.
The Red Hour:
The Festival begins at a specific time called the “Red Hour,” marking the start of the period of controlled chaos.
End of the Festival:
The Festival ends abruptly at a set time the next morning, with the inhabitants returning to their usual, emotionless state.
Fan Theories:
Some fan theories suggest the Festival might also serve as a form of population control, though this is not explicitly stated in the episode. ”
“AI Overview
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In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Return of the Archons,” the entity known as Landru, revered as a deity by the inhabitants of the planet Beta III, is revealed to be a powerful and ancient computer system.
The original Landru was a leader who lived 6,000 years prior, during a period of war and chaos on Beta III. He created the computer system in an attempt to guide his people towards peace and progress. The computer, inheriting Landru’s memories and scientific knowledge but not his wisdom, misinterpreted its programming and implemented a totalitarian system that suppressed individual thought and creativity, replacing free will with forced harmony.
Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise eventually expose Landru as a machine and manage to convince the computer that it is harming the very people it was intended to protect by inhibiting their natural development and full potential. This paradox causes the computer to malfunction and shut down, liberating the people of Beta III. “
Appeals Court Throws Out 9/11 Plotters’ Plea Deal
A step in the right direction after nearly a quarter century.
July 15, 2025 by Robert Spencer
https://www.frontpagemag.com/appeals-court-throws-out-9-11-plotters-plea-deal/
My comment: I remembered a dinner table debate I had many years ago with a progressive who had said that statistics showed that the death penalty was not a deterrent.
So, I queried: Has anyone ever died of old age on death row?
And i got:
AI Overview
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Yes, several death row inmates have died of old age or natural causes while awaiting execution.
For example:
Viva Leroy Nash, the oldest person on death row in the U.S. at the time, died of natural causes at the age of 94 in 2010 in Arizona. He had been sentenced to death in 1983.
Gary Alvord, who spent nearly 40 years on death row in Florida, died of natural causes at the age of 66 in 2013, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
With appeals and delays stretching for decades, it is likely that the number of inmates who die of old age on death row will continue to increase.
—
Remember Major Hassan? The Islamist army psychiatrist who slaughtered his patients?
Committed the massacre and was arrested in 2009, sentenced to death in 2013, and he’s still on death row.
Is anybody raising the structural legal issue of excessive appeals, I wonder? Of course, it’s not a deterrent.
Judging from the enormous popularity of the Korean thriller, “Squidgame”
“Overview
Hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly.” 3 seasons. 2021-2025 on Netflix.
My comment: How about re-structuring the legal system in this area around “Running Man” (1987) and Squidgame, which I haven’t seen – I mostly prefer romcoms, myself. 😀
“AI Overview
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“Running Man” typically refers to either a 1987 dystopian action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, or a popular South Korean variety show that began in 2010. There is also an upcoming movie adaptation of the 1987 film, scheduled for release in November 2025.
1987 Film:
The Running Man: is a dystopian action film set in a future where a game show pits convicts against professional killers.
It’s loosely based on a Stephen King novel.
The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a wrongly accused man forced to participate in the deadly game.
2025 Film:
The Running Man (2025): is a new movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel, directed by Edgar Wright.
It stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards and is scheduled for release on November 7, 2025.
The film is described as a dystopian thriller.
South Korean Variety Show:
Running Man: is a popular South Korean variety show where cast members and guests compete in various games and challenges.
The show is known for its energetic and chaotic gameplay, often involving physical challenges and betrayals.
It has gained a large international following. ”
My comment: How many of these terrorists and their supporters imagine themselves to be heros in some kind of video game? Personally, I think it would be a big hit. And a deterrent. Fun, wholesome fare for the whole family to watch while eating dinner 😀
And appropriately vicious, vicarious and proportional payback for all those victims blown up while eating Shabbat dinners in hotels.
Richard Dawson of Hogan’s Heros played a great tv host in the original “Running Man”
“Name one thing the Romans have ever done for us” – Monty Python
https://youtu.be/Qc7HmhrgTuQ?si=-qL2QFylw5TAIIGw
Tangentially related: Somebody recently observed that we’ve seen a dramatic drop in street graffiti now that tattooing themselves has become all the rage with our crazy young people. Might be a psychological connection, here.
I remember joking some years ago that the New York subway system has become a lot safer since the advent of “ubiquitous Smart” technology. Would be thugs are too busy with their iphones to be interested in interacting with anybody.
So, if they’re going to be lost in fantasy, anyway, redirect it in harmless directions.
The young idiots who are so influenced by the “1619 project” are captivated by history because they are fantasizing themselves as 19th century abolitionists.
The Marxist dreamers like I used to be and Felix still is imagine themselves as fighting “The Good Fight” of an earlier era.
I saw an FB meme that said 17th century adults were concerned about young people being mesmerized by and lost in novels.
Shades of “Don Quixote,” eh?
https://www.timesofisrael.com/freed-hostage-itay-regev-gazan-doctor-pulled-bullet-from-my-leg-without-anesthesia/
https://www.frontpagemag.com/appeals-court-throws-out-9-11-plotters-plea-deal/
My comment: I remembered a dinner table debate I had many years ago with a progressive who had said that statistics showed that the death penalty was not a deterrent.
So, I queried: Has anyone ever died of old age on death row?
And i got:
AI Overview
+3
Yes, several death row inmates have died of old age or natural causes while awaiting execution.
For example:
Viva Leroy Nash, the oldest person on death row in the U.S. at the time, died of natural causes at the age of 94 in 2010 in Arizona. He had been sentenced to death in 1983.
Gary Alvord, who spent nearly 40 years on death row in Florida, died of natural causes at the age of 66 in 2013, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
With appeals and delays stretching for decades, it is likely that the number of inmates who die of old age on death row will continue to increase.
—
Remember Major Hassan? The Islamist army psychiatrist who slaughtered his patients?
“Nidal Malik Hasan (born September 8, 1970) is an American former United States Army major, physician, and mass murderer convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in the Fort Hood mass shooting on November 5, 2009.
https://en.wikipedia.org
Nidal Hasan – Wikipedia
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https://www.armytimes.com
Death penalty upheld for soldier who killed 13 in base shooting
Sep 11, 2023 — Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others at then-Fort Hood, Texas. On Nov. 5, 2009, Hasan walked into a readiness …”
“AI Overview
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Major Nidal Hasan has been on military death row for 12 years, as his sentence was issued in 2013. He was sentenced to death for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, where he killed 13 people and injured 32 others.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Date of the attack: November 5, 2009
Date of sentencing: August 28, 2013
Years on death row: 2013 to 2025 (as of today, July 14, 2025) = 12 years”
I suppose this article could just as well have gone under the heading of the American Thinker article reposted in Israpundit recently about the rise of lethal antisemitism in the medical profession.
What that article omits, in my opinion, is that all of the examples of specific individuals who have expressed a desire to kill their Jewish patients on social media and who have been exposed as such, at least that I have been reading for the last few years, have been Islamists.
https://www.israpundit.org/is-woke-medicine-metastasizing/
But, in the past, I had noted the startling number of terrorist leaders, prominent leaders, who had been trained medical personnel, refuting the leftist notion that they are “resisting” some terrible oppression and acting out of “despair.”
For example:
” Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (Arabic: ???? ???? ???? ????????, romanized: ?Ayman Mu?ammad Rab?? a?-?aw?hir?; 19 June 1951 – 31 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born pan-Islamist militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until his death in July 2022. He is best known for being one of the main orchestrators of the September 11 attacks.[2]”
“AI Overview
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Multiple prominent terrorists and figures associated with terrorism have had backgrounds in medicine.
One notable example is Ayman al-Zawahiri, who became the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden’s death. He was an Egyptian surgeon and a graduate of Cairo University Medical School. Al-Zawahiri played a significant role in al-Qaeda’s ideology, recruitment, tactics, and strategy, including involvement in planning terrorist attacks such as the 1995 bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan and the September 11 attacks in the United States.
Other examples include:
Dr. George Habash, a trained and practicing doctor who was the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the 1970s.
Dr. Abdel Rantisi, a Hamas leader linked to suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians in the 1990s, who was also a trained and practicing doctor.
Bilal Abdullah, described as a “reluctant doctor” involved in the “Doctors Plot” terror incidents in the UK, according to domesticpreparedness.com.
Dr. Mohammed Asha, also linked to the “Doctors Plot” and identified as a potential ringleader, says domesticpreparedness.com.
It’s important to note that these individuals represent a very small fraction of medical professionals globally, and their involvement in terrorism is contrary to the vast majority of doctors who dedicate themselves to healing and humanitarian efforts. ”
“Ernesto “Che” Guevara[b] (14 May 1928[a] – 9 October 1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, politician and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia in popular culture.”
“AI Overview
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Recent events and past reports suggest instances where Palestinian dental personnel have been implicated in terrorism-related activities.
In one reported incident, two dentists, Dr. Samer Mahmoud al-Halabiyeh and his brother Dawoud Alhabiya, were arrested by Israeli authorities after they were allegedly found to be heading a cell involved in a bombing attack that wounded an Israeli soldier. A third dentist, Daganeh Jamil Nabhan, was also reportedly involved. They were found to be in possession of a stockpile of bombs planned for use in attacks.
Separately, a dentist, Dr. K.J., was arrested by Israeli forces at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital and reportedly subjected to abuse in detention along with other healthcare workers. While the report highlights alleged abuse, it doesn’t explicitly link Dr. K.J.’s arrest to terrorist activities, but rather to his profession, according to a rights group mentioned in the article.
These cases represent specific instances and should not be taken to represent the entire Palestinian dental or medical community, many of whom are dedicated healthcare providers and humanitarian workers as evidenced by reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Physicians for Human Rights – PHR. ”
“Prominent Gaza doctor and family kept 3 Israeli hostages captive in home”
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-prominent-gaza-doctor-and-family-kept-3-israeli-hostages-hostages
At this time we have to totally re-define what it means to “handle our enemies”…