After Yahya Sinwar's death, all eyes should be on Qatar: the U.S. ally sheltering Sinwar's likely successor, Khaled Meshal.
Natalie Ecanow
371 posts
Natalie Ecanow
@NatalieEcanow
Joined September 2021
- As anti-Hamas protests grow louder, guess who’s grown silent? Al Jazeera. I kick off today’s @FDD Morning Brief 👇
00:00 - This week, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt called for Hamas to disarm and end its reign over Gaza. This is a first and gives the U.S. an opportunity. More in my latest @FDD policy brief:
- Israel targeted Hamas operatives in Doha, not Qataris. U.S. security assurances mustn’t muddy that fact. Upgrading our commitment to Qatar implicitly benefits Hamas terrorists left in the country. That is, unless the White House demands that Qatar finally kick them out.🚨🇺🇸🇶🇦As part of the initiative to end the war in Gaza and as assurance to Qatar after the Israeli strike in Doha, President Trump signed on Monday an executive order that dramatically upgrades the U.S. commitment to Qatar’s with an "Article-5-like" security guarantee. This is an
- Qatar has spent the summer expanding its footprint in Africa. $250 billion and counting, plus high-profile peace talks. Check out my latest in @LongWarJournal for the 411
- Trump isn’t the first to receive a jumbo jet from Qatar. Erdogan got one in 2018. My @FDD colleague @SinanCiddi and I unpack lessons to be learned.
- Update: Qatar wasn’t too happy to see those B-2s last night.Qatar may be forced to pick a side — Iran or the West. If Doha’s partiality toward Iran continues, the Trump administration should reassess Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally status. More from @NatalieEcanow: fdd.org/analysis/2025/…
- Documents suggest Qatar and Hamas coordinated to derail Trump’s 2020 Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. This should be a wake up call for Washington. Qatar isn’t on America’s side.
- Georgetown has soaked up millions of Qatari $. Also Georgetown: awarding the President’s Medal to a Qatari royal who eulogized 10/7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar. Qatar has pumped billions into the U.S. higher ed system. Alarm bells should ring. Here’s why:I had a productive conversation with Qatari Ambassador @Amb_AlThani this morning to discuss the strategic partnership between our two nations. Mutual prosperity begins with learning and listening.
- As my @FDD colleague @SinanCiddi and I wrote in June, Turkey and Qatar are both champions of the Muslim Brotherhood. And they’re both buying into Syria with Washington’s blessing:"The partnership between Turkey and Qatar is being labeled in Israel as a 'strategic threat,' especially due to their expanding presence in Syria, in addition to both countries hosting Hamas officials and enjoying sympathetic ears in the White House." israelhayom.com/2025/07/17/tur…
- Skepticism is warranted. Al Jazeera’s coverage of the October 7 anniversary and ceasefire deal made that abundantly clear. @AhmadA_Sharawi and I laid out the evidence here👇 nationalreview.com/2025/10/al-jaz…Two weeks ago, people said Al Jazeera softened its coverage of Israel. I remain skeptical.
- When the GCC kicked Qatar to the curb in 2017 over its support for extremist groups, Qatar deployed lobbyists to clear its name. Now, Qatar is facing heat for its outsized presence in the American education system — and it’s reaching for the same playbook.Breaking: I just discovered that former U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett registered this month as a foreign agent for Qatar. Per the new FARA filings, he’s being paid $30k per month for 7 months to, and I quote, “publicize the fact that Qatari higher education efforts do
- It’s one thing to work with the Qataris to get things done; it’s quite another to accept palatial airplanes from them. Catch my latest appearance on the @FDD Morning Brief.
00:00 - Google should also worry about AJ+, which operates under the Al Jazeera umbrella. AJ+ has allegedly used bots to spread anti-American propaganda on social media while flouting FARA obligations.Breaking: Qatari terrorist mouthpiece Al Jazeera is in talks with Google to launch a strategic AI alliance. This is the same network that's posted videos titled "The U.S. Constitution sucks. Here's how to change it." And now they're going to try and subvert America via Google.
