OPINIONS

Thu 21 Sep 2023 9:00 am - Jerusalem Time

What are the real reasons for the tension between Qatar and Hamas?

After Qatar was late in disbursing the monthly grant to the Gaza Strip, informed Israeli sources revealed that it was disbursed during the Jewish New Year holiday, in light of tension in the relationship between Qatar and Hamas, which prompted the latter to ignite the Gaza Strip front and return demonstrations near the border fence.


For five years, Qatar has been providing a financial grant that is renewed annually with a statement issued by the Qatari Emiri Diwan. It is then transferred to the Qatari committee residing in the Gaza Strip and is divided into three parts: the first for needy and poor families, numbering 100,000 families, the second for the benefit of the electricity station, and the third as a contribution to paying the salaries of employees. The government in the sector, and the value of each part is about 10 million dollars?


What has happened on the ground and what has changed that led to a delay in disbursing the grant, especially to employees who have begun to suffer from difficult and stifling conditions and whose lives have become harsh and difficult, which has affected the budgets of a number of ministries affiliated with the Hamas government...


Salama Maarouf, head of the government media office in Hamas, confirms that the Qatari financial grant was actually affected in terms of its financial value. Sometimes it was disbursed and reached ten million dollars, then it declined until it reached three million dollars in the portion allocated to employees. There is also a state of irregular payment in During the past three months, it was paid only once, amounting to $3 million, and this certainly exacerbates the government’s financial deficit.


Regarding the reasons for the large financial deficit in the Hamas government, he said that in addition to Qatar’s reduction in the financial grant, the deficit is mainly due to the gap between the expenditures incurred by the government institution through the Ministry of Finance, and the limited and sometimes declining revenues, which accumulated a financial deficit that reached its peak last month.


Regarding the real reason behind Qatar’s reduction of its financial grant to the Hamas movement and the irregularity of the payment process - a source close to the movement said that it came because of the actual steps the movement took to rapprochement with the Syrian government after a rift between them that lasted for more than ten years, as Qatar’s position on the Syrian government Clear.


Qatar recently opposed Syria's return to the Arab embrace through the Arab League, and said that the reasons behind its boycott had not yet been overcome.


It seems that the reason is the presence of great Israeli pressure and new Israeli conditions, as politicized money is always subject to conditions and blackmail.


In light of these facts that were not officially revealed, an Israeli television channel appeared on the morning of Tuesday, September 19, and said that the Qatari grant had entered the Gaza Strip and that Hamas had not announced its entry, due to the dispute with Qatar, under the pretext that Hamas was dissatisfied with the passage of the grant money through Israel and despite Hamas’ approval. As Qatar buys fuel from Egypt and sells it in the Gaza Strip, the rise in fuel prices and transportation prices forced a reduction in the grant, the part of which allocated for employee salaries reached less than the required amount. Hamas asked the Qataris to provide the full grant amount, but the Qatari response was refusal.


Whatever the reasons and motives, the Gaza demonstrations at the fence this week prove beyond doubt that there is a crisis and it may develop into a limited military confrontation with the aim of imposing the equation of calm, security and stability in Gaza on the condition that the financial grant continues to flow and that any delay or obstruction to it is accompanied by Israeli blackmail. New conditions may change the facts on the ground and drag the region into a new confrontation...


It is clear that Israel's plan after the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was aimed at making the Israeli political initiative the only game, blocking the way for any other initiatives, and moving towards further steps in the West Bank, which creates strife and division among the Palestinians and negatively affects the Strip, which is still besieged and exposed to aggression in What moment is the largest and longest prison in history?


A reality repeated by experience. The Gaza Strip remains hostage to the Israeli pincer, which appears to be the cause of the recent tension, given that Israel is a constant source of anxiety in the Middle East region. No matter how many reasons there are for the Qatari dispute with Hamas, the part related to Israel’s actions and policies must not be neglected.

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What are the real reasons for the tension between Qatar and Hamas?

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