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In recent years, Qatar has established itself as a prominent conflict mediator in the Middle East. Particularly, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has shifted the international focus onto the small Gulf state, which is acting as a third party in the conflict mediation process. The role of the mediator is to help both conflict parties to reach a mutually accepted agreement. A mediator does not take sides and acts as a communication facilitator, promoting dialogue between the conflict parties. In the past, there has been a tendency to allocate the role of conflict mediator to world powers because of their ability to enforce implementation and their international dominance. However, in the last decades, small states acting as conflict mediators have emerged such as Kuwait, Norway, and Qatar. This article delves into Qatar’s foreign policy approach, reasons why it is in high demand as a conflict mediator, various conflicts in which it has acted as a mediator, and its current role in the Israel-Hamas war. 

Qatar is ruled by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has positioned the country as an important player in international geopolitics. It has the third-largest gas reserves, which makes it one of the richest countries in the world. In recent years, it has emerged as an active conflict mediator, engaging in, for instance, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Gaza. Qatar requires a special foreign policy to protect the small state from threats, which also derive from its critical geopolitical position between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Therefore, conflict mediation has become a protective measure and an important pillar in its foreign policy approach, which strengthened its international ties and established its reputation as an indispensable mediator.  

There are multiple reasons why Qatar is in high demand as a mediator. Firstly, its neutrality and independence set the country apart in a hyper-politicized region. Secondly, due to the country’s prosperous economy, the population’s dismissal of the government is low. Additionally, there is no democratic council overseeing its foreign policies, meaning it can implement those without the threat of internal opposition. Thirdly, Qatar maintains good relations with major powers such as the US as well as Islamist movements. While there are 10,000 US troops deployed in the military base Al Udeid, Qatar also gained influence over Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood.  During the Arab Spring, it supported the revolution, where these movements gained influence during the uprisings. This gives Qatar important diplomatic leverage in peace negotiations. Additionally, it also fostered good ties with the Taliban after it facilitated peace talks between the Taliban and the US in 2020. Lastly, Qatar tends to invest heavily in conflict parties’ regions where it has mediated, for instance, it has sent millions of dollars of financial aid, food, and medical assistance to Afghanistan, Sudan, and Gaza. It also assisted in various reconstruction projects in Lebanon. According to studies, offering material and financial incentives to the weaker conflict party can decrease the level of conflict.  

Qatar has acted as a mediator in various conflicts. In 2008, Qatar began to mediate peace talks as the Arab League representative between the Sudanese government and rebel factions. In 2011, a ceasefire agreement was reached, also known as the Darfur peace agreement. In 2008, Qatar also intervened in a conflict between Lebanon and Hezbollah, a Shia militia group. After the Lebanese government cut Hezbollah’s telecommunication channels to decrease its influence, the terrorist organization occupied parts of Beirut and shut down major air- and seaports. Further escalations were averted after both parties reached an agreement supported by Qatar, which included a framework for new parliamentary elections in 2009. In 2012, Qatar assisted in the Fatah-Hamas Doha Agreement, which was supposed to unify both Palestine resistance movements governing the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under an interim government. However, this government never materialized due to internal disputes and the agreement turned out to be unsuccessful. In 2023, Qatar mediated a prisoner exchange between the US and Iran, in which 5 Americans and 5 Iranians were released. In the same year, it also successfully mediated the return of several Ukrainian children, who had been forcibly displaced to Russia or were trapped in one of the Russian-occupied regions of Eastern Ukraine.  

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Qatar has made a continuous effort to broker a peace agreement between the conflict parties, including a ceasefire and hostage releases. In November 2023, there was a successful breakthrough with 105 civilian hostages being released from Gaza and the fighting being paused for a week. The reason for this success is that Qatar plays an important role behind the scenes and can exert diplomatic leverage. Firstly, it hosts Hamas leaders and a Hamas political office, which was opened over a decade ago in an effort to establish indirect communication lines between Hamas and the US. Secondly, Qatar has sent over 1 billion dollars in financial aid to the Gaza Strip, partially paying the salaries of Palestinian doctors, teachers, and other public officials. Thirdly, the Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera is one of the very few channels broadcasting live from Gaza and one of the top leading media networks worldwide. Al Jazeera is playing an important role in covering the Palestinian perspective of the war, which in turn increases Qatar’s influence over Hamas. Fourthly, the Biden administration has called Qatar one of its closest military partners in the Middle East and the US is Israel’s closest ally. Lastly, Qatar had also once ties to Israel, being one of the first Gulf states to establish trade relations with it in the 1990s. However, Israel’s office in Doha was closed after Israel’s war in Gaza in 2009. Qatar’s stance on the conflict is that it does not endorse Hamas’s attack on October 7 but blames Israel for the occupation. 

In the moment of writing, the latest news is that there has been a proposal made by Qatar, Egypt, and the US.  This proposal includes the release of all civilian Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the release of three Palestinian prisoners held in Israel for each released hostage, a six-week pause in fighting, and a significant increase in humanitarian aid. So far, Israel has accepted the idea of another temporary ceasefire but according to Israeli officials, disagreements would arise when negotiating the specific details of the proposal. Should an agreement be reached, extreme right-wing members of the Israeli government have threatened with their resignation. However, Hamas leaders are equally unyielding, setting a complete cessation of aggression as the precondition for hostage release negotiations.  

 

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