There is an ongoing discussion about the future of Hamas ' headquarters in Qatar and US officials are determined to request its closure after Hamas releases all its hostages, the Biden administration will consider Qatar's demand to close the movement's office in the country.
Politico
Such a move, if implemented, would be a major rebuke to Hamas and an embarrassment to Qatar, a non-NATO ally that has served as a conduit for hostage talks with the militants.
At the moment, the United States is directing all efforts aimed at securing the release of the remaining hostages, supporting Israel's retaliation and improving humanitarian conditions in Gaza. But serious internal talks are expected on whether to apply for Qatar, three U.S. officials told the NatSec Daily, and early indications are that Hamas will have to find a new headquarters.
"We have made it clear that after October 7 there can be no more business as usual with Hamas,"said a senior administration official, who preferred to remain anonymous to discuss a sensitive diplomatic issue. "This is a discussion that we will continue to raise with partners in the region."
But there is a great fear that closing the Hamas headquarters would complicate any future back channel between the United States, Israel and the movement
The civil war in Syria forced Hamas to transfer its political leadership to Qatar in 2012. The arrangement has long been under scrutiny, as some point out that the small Middle Eastern State is very comfortable with Hamas and Iran.
"It's time to honestly reflect on the role Qatar played in building Hamas and the steps that need to be taken to dismantle all Qatari support for Hamas going forward,"said Richard Goldberg, a former Trump National Security Council official who now works at the foundation for defense of Democracies think tank. In addition to ensuring the closure of the office, Goldberg proposes to strip Qatar of its status as a non-NATO ally or classify it as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Qatar has long argued that such situations are unfair. Meshaal bin Hamad Al-Thani, the country's ambassador to the United States, wrote in an editorial for the Wall Street Journal in October that the office moved to Doha after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas".
If the United States asks the Hamas office to operate in Qatar, it can effectively order its closure and the removal of its leadership. Qatar, home to a major US military airbase, can refuse the request, but US officials and experts argue that Doha will fulfill Washington's wish.
However, this is not what Qatari officials say publicly. "This channel has been very helpful in countless de-escalation operations that have taken place,"Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, told CNN last month. "As long as this channel is useful in creating peace, we must keep it, we cannot afford to lose it."
U.S. officials find the channel important as well, and it has proven crucial in seeing about a third of the hostages held by Hamas released in recent days. Some expressed fear to NatSec Daily that Hamas, if expelled, could find a headquarters in a more hostile country such as Syria or Iran. The group can still keep the lines of communication open.
But these concerns do not overcome the feeling in Washington that the status quo is unsustainable.
