Analysis
Oct 21, 2025 As the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas limps .., Washington’s foreign policy establishment is engaged in its favorite parlor game: declaring victory. President Trump has proclaimed himself peacemaker-in-chief, Netanyahu has welcomed returning hostages with tears and embraces, and Hamas leaders insist from their Doha offices that the resistance prevails. Everyone, it seems, has won.
The problem with this triumphalist narrative is that it ignores the most fundamental question of Middle East politics: who actually gained strategic leverage? Strip away the emotional reunions, the presidential photo-ops, and the propaganda from all sides, and a different picture emerges. The big winner of this round in the endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t in Jerusalem, Gaza, or even Washington. It’s in Doha.
Qatar has pulled off a remarkable feat. The tiny emirate has spent years hosting Hamas leadership, funding the organization through various channels, and broadcasting its narrative through Al Jazeera across the Arab world. By any reasonable standard, Qatar has been a key enabler of Hamas’s political and military strategy. Yet somehow, Qatar has emerged from this latest war not as a pariah but as the indispensable power broker of the Middle East.
Consider the absurdity of the situation. When Trump needed to broker a ceasefire, he didn’t turn primarily to Egypt, America’s long-standing ally that actually shares a border with Gaza and has brokered previous agreements. He didn’t elevate Saudi Arabia, the regional heavyweight that Washington has courted for decades. He turned to Qatar, the state that gave Hamas leaders a comfortable home while they planned and celebrated the October 7 attacks. The Qatari prime minister became the essential intermediary, the man both sides needed to reach a deal.
The payoff for Qatar has been extraordinary. Where are the regional summits being held? Doha. Who is setting the terms of reconstruction aid and humanitarian assistance? Qatar. Which Arab leader faced no pressure from Trump to accept displaced Palestinians? The Emir of Qatar, while Egypt’s President el-Sisi was publicly humiliated over the “Gaza Riviera” proposal. When Israel attempted a strike on Hamas offices in Doha last September and then apologized for the “mishap,” Qatar’s untouchable status was confirmed. Arab leaders who boycotted Qatar during the 2017 Gulf crisis now line up in Doha, recognizing where real influence resides.
This is realpolitik at its finest… Read more
Catholic Critique 