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The possibility that Hamas could be removed from its base in Qatar has raised pressure on the Iran-backed group as the US prepares for the transition to the administration of Donald Trump, who is seen as particularly pro-Israeli. But no one is betting that Hamas will soon be finished, having dominated Gaza and its society for almost two decades.
Qatar, whose interlocutor roles underpin its international stature, has dismissed but did not deny reports that it has asked senior Hamas figure Khaled Meshaal and other political leaders of the group to leave within a month. Hamas moved to Qatar after falling out with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad over the suppression of the 2011 revolt against his rule.
Regional and US officials said Washington has asked Qatar to expel Hamas after the militants rejected repeated offers of a ceasefire, the latest of which was shortly before the US election. The proposal was based on releasing about 100 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and a partial Israeli military drawdown. The group turned down the offer, citing a lack of permanent withdrawal among other objections.
Removing Hamas from Qatar would deprive the group of a sanctuary in a moderate Arab state with connections to both Iran, Hamas's most powerful supporter, and the West.
Hazem Ayyad, a prominent Jordanian political researcher, said Israel was behind the US request, as part of its efforts to further "push Hamas against the wall". He warned, however, that ejecting the group is in the interest of neither Washington nor Qatar.
Iraq, Iran, Algeria and Yemen have been touted as possible new bases for Mr Meshaal and other senior Hamas officials.
"Hamas has gotten used to Qatar and has been comfortable [operating] there," Mr Ayyad said. "Qatar has also allowed easy US access to Hamas. If Hamas is gone from Qatar, it will be also unsuitable for the other parties. Who will Washington talk to about the 100 hostages and about its plans for the day after in Gaza?"
He predicted Qatar will try to play for time in meeting the US request until Mr Trump takes power in January. "The Hamas card gives Qatar [diplomatic] weight," he said. "They don't want to be without it when Trump comes and they sit with him on the table."
In rare criticism of Hamas by a public figure from Gaza, Islamic scholar Salman Al Dayeh said the group's attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, had breached basic principles of Islam and should have been avoided.
Mr Ayyad said that although the humanitarian suffering in Gaza had undermined Hamas, wiping out the group's military wing remains extremely difficult because as long as it "has a social incubator, it will keep firing and will remain alive".
The Gaza war, now in its 14th month, has destabilised the Middle East, expanding into Lebanon and raising the risk of sustained, direct hostilities between Israel and Iran. The war started in October last year after Hamas and other Palestinian groups supported by Tehran killed 1,200 people in attacks on Israel. Health officials in Gaza say more than 43,500 people in Gaza have been killed in the subsequent Israeli invasion.
The war also affected the US election, with President-elect Donald Trump accusing the current Joe Biden administration of wavering in its support for Israel as it fights two wars, in Gaza and in Lebanon. In his first presidency, Mr Trump mediated a resumption of Arab relations with Israel, including a role in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
But his Middle East peace plan, which proposed economic benefits but little in the way of statehood, was rejected by both the religious Hamas and the secular, western-backed Palestinian Liberation Organisation, which is headed by President Mahmoud Abbas and controls the Palestinian Administration in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
One European diplomat who has travelled repeatedly to Israel and the Palestinian territories this year said the election of Mr Trump deprives Hamas of "good options" if it leaves Qatar.
Turkey would not want to antagonise the new president, having diluted its anti-US rhetoric before the elections in case Mr Trump won, he said. Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani wants to shed his government's links with Iran's proxy militias. Yemen's Houthis would be of "no use" to Hamas because of their isolation.
"Algeria is the only country with enough connections to negotiate on behalf of Hamas, but barely," the diplomat said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
