Falconpowers – The Qatari Embassy in the United States responded to a resolution proposal presented by Senator Ted Budd to consider ending Qatar’s status as a major ally of the United States outside of NATO.
The senator stated in the resolution proposal submitted and published on his official website: “I am not submitting this legislation to consider ending Qatar’s status as a major non-NATO ally lightly. This is not the point at which this relationship began, but rather a reflection of where we find ourselves today and the repeated warnings members of Congress have issued to Qatar regarding its continued hosting of Hamas.”
He continued, saying, “Since October 7, I have dealt privately and publicly with Qatar, at times thanking them, including for the hostage deal reached in November, which included the release of some American citizens. But I have also been clear about the expectations regarding Qatar’s relationship with Hamas and moving forward in mediating the hostage crisis… On March 15, a group of Senate members from both the Republican and Democratic parties clearly announced that ‘if Hamas refuses to engage in reasonable negotiations, there is no reason for Qatar to continue hosting the political office of Hamas or any of its members in Doha,’ and after multiple reasonable offers from Israel, Hamas decided to reject accepting any deal or even showing flexibility on any conditions.”
He added, “Therefore, Qatar must immediately expel or agree to hand over any individuals identified as members of Hamas or agree to hand them over to the United States, especially the leaders of its political office, who bear responsibility for the heinous attacks that occurred on October 7… The status of a major non-NATO ally is a privilege, and countries like Qatar must continuously earn it. Failure to take action against Hamas is starting to look like implicit support for a foreign terrorist organization designated by the United States. This is unacceptable behavior for a major non-NATO ally. Securing the release of hostages requires strength and moral clarity. We demand that from our leaders, and we should demand it from our major allies.”
In response, the Qatari Embassy in Washington issued a statement saying, “It is very disappointing to see Senator Ted Budd submit a resolution proposal that threatens Qatar’s classification as a major non-NATO ally of the United States outside of NATO in 2022, simply because Hamas and Israel have not reached an agreement on the release of hostages.”
