Qatari official says, 'Nobody else was going to do this'
Four days in Qatar’s capital, attending the Doha Forum and meeting with Qatari and other officials, offered an up-close and personal perspective of the outsized diplomatic role the small Gulf country is playing in the Israel-Hamas war and regional politics.
Qatari mediation between Israel and Hamas has been a diplomatic center of gravity for the conflict. It succeeded in brokering a six-day pause in the fighting two weeks ago that allowed for the release of about 100 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as well as for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Qatar does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and is neither a front line state in the conflict like Egypt and Jordan nor a signatory to the Abraham Accords such as the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
