Qatar offers to host the first high-level Israeli delegation to the Persian Gulf in a decade

Qatar wants to make nice, to 'to boost its status as a regional player'. Will this gesture toward Israel, and thus toward the United States, help or hurt Qatar? (emphasis mine)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Qatar is home to Washington's Mideast military headquarters, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Qatar also gives aid to the militant group Hamas and is under pressure from the U.S. to help efforts to bring peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli officials said Wednesday that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni tentatively planned to travel to Qatar next week for a U.N. conference on new or restored democracies.

Although Livni would be visiting for an international conference and not for talks with the Qatari government, the trip would be significant. She would be the most senior Israeli official to visit Qatar since then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres traveled there in 1996.

The Israelis hope to enlist Qatar's help in winning the release of Israeli soldiers held by Hamas and Hezbollah. Long-term, Israeli leaders want to build contacts with moderate Arab states to counter the influence of Iran's anti-Israel government. ...

"People here blame the Israelis for 95 or 99 percent of these problems," said Muhammad al-Musfir, a political scientist at Qatar University. "No government will dare to have an open discussion with the Israelis without concessions." ...

"Qataris feel they are under the tent of Saudi Arabia and they are trying to get out of it," Sahar said. "However, distinguishing themselves by having ties with Israel in this tense situation is for most people akin to a type of political prostitution."

For its part, Saudi Arabia complains Qatar is using its widely watched Al-Jazeera television, headquartered in the Qatari capital of Doha, to broadcast anti-Saudi programs. The Saudis also accuse Qatar of undermining Arab unity.

"Qatar feels squeezed by the Saudis and obsessed with fear that the kingdom will swallow it one day," said Mohammed Saeed Idres at the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. (read more)

It sounds like Qatar is between lots of rocks and hard places. They have hope as a moderate Arab country. We can only hope and pray for their success.

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Comments

[Angel]

Ah..me of little faith ..Trust NO A--rab countries..look for the ulterior motives!..thanks so much for the link!..:)