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Qatari Emir’s Speech at UN Showed Its Loyalty to Hamas; We Must Respond
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on before a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has once again accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.
In his recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly, al-Thani refused to condemn Hamas — the Iran-backed terror group that instigated the war on October 7, 2023. Instead, he condemned the Jewish State for what he described as “the most barbaric and heinous and extensive” violations of “human values, international charters and norms.”
Al-Thani’s speech demonstrates that Qatar remains loyal to Hamas’ narrative of events in the Middle East, and should not be trusted as an impartial interlocutor between Israel and the terrorist organization.
During this speech, al-Thani never mentioned that Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped some 250 others on October 7.
He never mentioned that the United Nations itself released a report in March delineating “clear and convincing” evidence that Hamas terrorists committed widespread sexual crimes on October 7.
He never mentioned the extraordinary steps that Israel has taken to limit civilian casualties in a combat zone, while Hamas uses schools, hospitals, and even children’s bedrooms as human shields.
Brushing aside the ongoing threat of Iranian-backed terrorism, al-Thani proceeded to applaud Palestinians in Gaza for the enclave’s “remarkable development” over the past 17 years, neglecting to mention that Hamas invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building terrorist infrastructure rather than investing in the economy. He also decried the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, whom the emir styled as a legitimate political official. And al-Thani referred to all Palestinians killed in Gaza as “martyrs,” ignoring the fact that thousands of fatalities were Hamas terrorists.
Next, al-Thani criticized Israel for “waging war on Lebanon,” while failing to mention that Hezbollah initiated the war by launching rockets and drones daily at northern Israel since October 8, 2023, displacing at least 60,000 civilians from their homes, and killing dozens. Furthermore, Israel has made it clear that Israel’s conflict is with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon. But that’s apparently lost on al-Thani. He didn’t even name Hezbollah once in his UN address.
Conveniently disregarding the facts, the emir insisted that Israel’s detonation of thousands of communication devices carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon was a “major crime” conducted with “total disregard” for the victims’ “identity or location.” In reality, the attacks are considered the most strictly-limited widespread attack on a terrorist organization in history.
With the region on the precipice of a broader war, al-Thani warned that the violence must stop.
“This is the choice before Israel,” he said, adding that “the State of Qatar will spare no effort in working with its international partners and the United Nations to firmly consolidate the pillars of peace, security, sustainable development, human rights, and the rule of law.”
Placing the onus on Israel to end the war disregards reality, in which Iran’s Axis of Aggression deliberately initiated — unprovoked — a conflict that has targeted not only Israelis, but Americans and other free people around the world as well.
Al-Thani’s assertion that Qatar is committed to peace, security, and human rights is just as deceptive. Qatar harbors Hamas leaders and financiers, provides financial support to Gaza’s Hamas-run government, and amplifies Hamas propaganda on Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the Qatari government continues to abuse the rights of its own population.
In a 2023 report, the US State Department noted “significant human rights issues” in Qatar, including “credible reports” of abuses like “enforced disappearance,” “arbitrary arrest,” and “extensive gender-based violence.”
In the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, Doha came under the spotlight for exploiting migrant workers employed to construct soccer stadiums, by forcing them to work overtime under the blazing sun, often without compensation.
Still, the Biden administration continues to express gratitude to Qatar, and confidence in Doha’s diplomatic services.
On September 25 — one day after al-Thani spoke at the UN — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington remains “grateful” to “our friends from Qatar” for their “tireless efforts to get a ceasefire.” Notably, the administration admitted Qatar to the US Visa Waiver Program, which will allow Qatari citizens to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Blinken said Qatar’s participation in the program “will deepen our strategic partnership and enhance the flow of people and commerce between our two countries.”
The Biden administration must get sober about its partners in Doha. Al-Thani’s UN speech demonstrates that Qatar remains wedded to Hamas’ ideology and should not be trusted as an honest broker or reliable ally of the United States.
Natalie Ecanow is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow.
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US-backed Gaza Relief NGO Vows ‘Legal Action’ Against AP Claim Group Fired on Palestinian Civilians
Palestinians collect aid supplies from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed nonprofit operating aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, is pushing back forcefully against an Associated Press report alleging that its contractors opened fire on Palestinian civilians.
The GHF is accusing the AP of withholding key evidence and relying on a “disgruntled former contractor” as a central source.
“In response, we are pursuing legal action,” the organization said in a statement released Wednesday.
GHF said it conducted an “immediate investigation” after being contacted by the AP, reviewing time-stamped video footage and sworn witness testimony. The group concluded that the allegations were “categorically false,” stating that no civilians were fired upon at any of their distribution sites and that the gunfire heard in the AP’s video came from Israeli forces operating outside the vicinity.
“What is most troubling is that the AP refused to share the full video with us prior to publication, despite the seriousness of the allegations,” the statement read. “If they believed their own reporting, they should have provided us with the footage so we could take immediate and appropriate action.”
The nonprofit’s public rebuttal raises sharp questions about the AP’s reporting process, suggesting the outlet declined to engage with the organization in good faith and instead leaned on a source GHF describes as having been terminated “for misconduct” weeks prior. The group also claimed the AP’s recent coverage of its activities had begun to “echo narratives advanced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.”
The AP has not yet responded publicly to the GHF’s accusations or provided clarification about its decision not to share the video footage before publication. The original report alleged that American contractors employed by GHF had fired weapons near or toward civilians.
The GHF statement confirmed that a contractor seen shouting in the AP’s video had been removed from operations, though the group insisted this was unrelated to any violence and did not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.
GHF, which describes its mission as delivering food to Gaza “safely, directly, and without interference,” said it remains committed to transparency but would not allow its operations to be “derailed by misinformation.”
The dispute highlights the fraught information environment in Gaza, where limited access and competing narratives frequently complicate the verification of on-the-ground events.
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Shock Poll: Most Jews Approve of Trump’s Job Performance, Strike on Iran
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
A new Siena Research poll finds that a majority of Jewish voters in New York approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance and his handling of the Israel-Iran war.
The survey found that a majority of Jewish respondents, 57 percent, approve of the job Trump is doing in his second term as president, compared to 42 percent who disapprove.
Even more striking, 64 percent of Jewish voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Iran conflict, signaling strong alignment with his foreign policy stance in a community that has historically leaned Democratic in national elections.
The poll results highlight a notable political shift in one of the most reliably liberal constituencies in the country. In 2020, Trump won only about 30 percent of the Jewish vote nationally, and similar trends held in New York. But since his return to office in the 2024 election, a victory that itself stunned many observers, Trump has emphasized an aggressive pro-Israel posture, including increased military aid and unwavering rhetorical support during Israel’s war with Iran and Hezbollah.
The Israel-Iran war, which erupted earlier this year following escalating attacks between Israel and Iran, and Tehran’s deepening involvement with proxy forces in Lebanon and Syria, has become a key flashpoint in international politics and a central issue for American Jews. Trump has repeatedly vowed to back Israel “without hesitation,” and his administration has taken steps to provide military resupply, expand intelligence sharing, and block UN resolutions critical of Israeli operations.
In response, his approval ratings among Jewish voters, particularly Orthodox and pro-Israel segments, appear to have climbed sharply.
“This marks a significant departure from previous voting patterns,” said Lauren Saperstein, a political scientist at NYU focused on Jewish American voting behavior. “Trump has successfully tapped into security concerns, especially in light of the Iran threat, and that’s resonating with voters who may have disagreed with him on other issues in the past.”
Past data has suggested Orthodox Jewish voters tend to favor Republican candidates more heavily, while Reform and secular Jews lean Democratic. The new 57 percent approval figure indicates broader support than Trump has previously received from the Jewish electorate in New York.
Democrats, for their part, have struggled to maintain a cohesive stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. Many Democrats criticized Trump for deciding to strike at Tehran’s nuclear facilities, arguing that the president unnecessarily risked causing a broader regional war. Within the Democratic Party, divisions over Israel policy have widened, with younger progressives more likely to criticize the war and push for conditions on US aid to its longtime ally.
The poll results could have significant implications for upcoming congressional races in New York, where Jewish voters represent a sizable and politically active bloc. Several House districts in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island could be influenced by the shift in sentiment, particularly if Democrats are seen as divided or insufficiently supportive of Israel.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, Trump appears to be benefiting from his strong messaging in favor of Israel and against antisemitism.
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The Anti-Israel Mob Never Mentions Women’s Rights in Israel — Compared to the Middle East
Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
In parts of the Middle East, women still live in deeply patriarchal, often brutal systems. Changes exist more on paper than in practice. Power remains in the hands of men, religious systems, and political elites — and this repressive treatment often goes unchallenged.
This happens in places like Gaza under Hamas, in Afghanistan under the Taliban, in Iran under the ayatollahs, and even in Saudi Arabia, where “reforms” like women driving made headlines in 2018.
Let’s be clear: not every Muslim-majority country treats women this way. In places like Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, many women work, study, and participate in public life. But even there, legal protections and personal freedoms often lag behind. And in the four examples mentioned — Gaza, Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia — women face severe, institutionalized oppression. These are not fringe cases; they reflect the governing ideologies of millions.
Now contrast that with Israel.
In Israel, the only liberal democracy in the region, both Jewish and Arab women live with rights and freedoms unheard of in most of the Middle East.
In Israel, women:
- Vote and run for office
- Serve as Supreme Court judges, ministers, professors, doctors, and CEOs
- Join the military, even in combat roles
- Protest publicly without fear of being shot or jailed
- Choose how to dress, where to work, whom to marry, and what to believe
- File police reports and expect legal protection
Women in Israel are not just present, they lead. They command battalions, fly fighter jets, debate in the Knesset, run start-ups, and shape policy. Gender equality is not perfect — no country is — but legally, all women are fully protected.
And this is the part that’s almost never said: Arab women in Israel also enjoy more rights than in any Arab country. They study in top universities, vote freely, become doctors, lawyers, and leaders. Yes, some face traditional cultural pressures in their communities, but under Israeli law, they are citizens with equal rights, and legal recourse when those rights are violated.
Can the same be said for women in Gaza, ruled by Hamas? For women under the Taliban in Afghanistan? Or for the brave Iranian women imprisoned for removing their headscarves?
If you are a self-respecting feminist in the West, this should be a moral line: Israel is the only place in the Middle East where women are truly free. In Tel Aviv, if a woman is raped, she can go to the police. She’ll be heard, investigated, supported.
In Tehran, she might be blamed. In Riyadh, she could be imprisoned. In Kabul, she might be killed. In Gaza, she might be forced to marry her rapist.
So ask yourself: if you support women’s rights, why are you aligning with regimes or movements that strip women of their humanity?
Something is deeply broken when women in free societies chant slogans for groups that would silence, veil, and imprison them. When feminists march with Palestinian flags, are they aware that under Hamas, there is no LGBTQ+ freedom, no feminist activism, no legal protections for women?
You don’t have to support every policy of the Israeli government to recognize this truth: Israel is the only country in the Middle East where a woman can live as a full, free citizen.
Western feminists need to wake up. When you champion groups like Hamas or regimes like Iran “for the cause,” you are betraying the very values you claim to fight for.
Until that realization comes, I ask just one thing: If you truly care about women, why on earth are you standing against Israel?
Sabine Sterk is the CEO of Time To Stand Up For Israel.
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