The Message Trump Should Deliver in Qatar

“You saved my life,” former Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel told President Trump at a recent dinner. “You got 33 of us home alive,” Siegel noted, adding, “we will get, with your help, all of the remaining 59 hostages still in Gaza back home.” Trump’s upcoming visit to Qatar, part of a three-day tour of the Arab Gulf from May 13 to May 16, is an opportunity to turn Siegel’s words into action.

Trump Should Pressure Qatar to Pressure Hamas

Since the Gaza ceasefire collapsed in March, Qatar has resumed mediating talks for a renewed ceasefire and hostage deal. Yet Qatar is hardly a neutral broker. After propping up Hamas with political and financial capital for decades, Qatar held “Israel alone responsible” for Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault. According to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, the funds Qatar sent to Gaza helped Hamas subsidize its force buildup ahead of the onslaught. Eighteen months in, five Americans remain captive in Gaza, only one of whom is presumed alive.

Instead of pressuring Qatar to force Hamas to release the hostages, the Trump administration, like the Biden administration before it, continues to thank Qatari leaders for their diplomatic services. President Trump’s upcoming trip to Qatar is an opportunity to break with past precedent and start turning the screws on Hamas’s patrons in Doha.

Trump Should Finish What He Started With Terror Finance, Al Jazeera

After addressing the ongoing hostage talks, President Trump should raise two pending action items with his Qatari interlocutors. First, Qatar has historically served as a permissive jurisdiction for private funders of terror. During the previous Trump administration, Qatar signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding pledging to combat terror finance alongside the United States. However, the presence of Hamas financiers in Qatar as late as 2023 suggests that Doha hasn’t sufficiently lived up to its commitments. Trump should press Qatari leaders on outstanding terror finance concerns during his trip next month.

Second, the Justice Department ordered AJ+, a U.S.-based project of the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera Media Network, to register as a foreign agent in 2020. AJ+ has yet to comply, skirting U.S. law while promoting anti-American propaganda.

No More Free Passes for Allies That Behave Like Adversaries

Qatar has consistently behaved like an adversary without facing meaningful consequences. On the contrary, Qatar continues to host Al Udeid Air Base — the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East — buy advanced American weapons, and enjoy the economic and defense privileges of its Major Non-NATO Ally status. Trump’s visit to Qatar is an opportunity to reset the dynamic of the U.S.-Qatar relationship. If Qatar fails to divorce from Hamas, sufficiently address terror finance vulnerabilities, and bring AJ+ into line with U.S. law, its Major Non-NATO Ally status should be reviewed. Trump should make clear that the days of unconditional American friendship are over.

Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Adi Stern is an intern. For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.