American pressure to close Hamas' branch in Qatar? Qatari Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani evaded at a press conference over the weekend when asked at a press conference whether the emirate would close Hamas' branch in the country. This refers to the heads of the terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre, who are staying in the country's most prestigious hotels.
"Regarding the question about Hamas' political bureau in Doha," the Qatari prime minister replied, "at the moment... In fact... This office has served from the beginning as a way of establishing contact and bringing peace to the region... That is the purpose of this office. As long as we keep communication open and focus on ending the conflict... That will remain the goal..." In other words, he clarified that at this stage, Qatar has no intention of expelling members of the terrorist organization.
Also present at the press conference was Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The senior U.S. official responded to the question with these words: "I made it clear in all my talks on the trip [to the Middle East] that there will be no more 'business as usual' with Hamas. Infanticide, burning families to death, kidnapping children. Every country should condemn these actions and hold Hamas responsible."
Qatar currently has Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and other senior figures such as Khalil al-Haya and Musa Abu Marzouq. Apparently, Hamas head abroad Khaled Mashaal is also in Qatar. During the night, Haniyeh held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hossein Abdollahian, who stressed to him Iran's continued support for the murderous terrorist organization.
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