The small Arab emirate of Qatar, which currently hosts the exiled leadership of the Palestinian movement Hamas, is thinking of getting rid of its guests somehow. One of the reasons is probably that the planned ceasefire negotiations, which Qatar would like to broker, are constantly being postponed. The second is that being a surrogate home for such an organization raises some controversy with Western partners. But a third factor cannot be ruled out either, which is the general mistrust of other Arab states towards the Palestinians on their own territory.
Historically, Palestinian communities have a reputation as destabilizing elements for host countries, and not undeservedly. Kuwait expelled all Palestinians after they sided with Iraq during Saddam’s invasion. In Jordan, at one time, the Palestinians tried to overthrow the king (unsuccessfully), and in nearby Lebanon, Palestinian female fighters played a decisive role in the country’s descent into the hells of civil war.
If the hot potato named Hamas is indeed “flipped” from the Qatari capital of Doha somewhere else, the natural next host would be Erdogan’s Turkey. Erdogan’s AKP party is the less extreme (I’m reluctant to use the word “moderate” as it would be too misleading) wing of the international Muslim Brotherhood, to which Hamas also belongs, and many Hamas figures, including their families, live in Turkey. A somewhat paradoxical situation would thus arise, where a NATO member country would host an organization considered by other NATO member countries to be terrorist.
Turkish asylum will not be permanent for Hamas. Erdogan is a mere mortal, he will not win elections forever, and without him the AKP is just a collection of second-rate also-politicians; like any good authoritarian, he didn’t allow any real younger talent to emerge in his party to threaten him. One day, he will be replaced in the presidential palace by the opposition, which has a cold, even negative relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood. And that will probably mean that the bearded men from Hamas will have to pack their bags again.
Where will they go, those unfortunates, if not even other Arabs care about them? Perhaps universities like Berkeley and Columbia could share them. There, one cannot doubt the genuine, sincere sympathies of at least a certain part of the academic community.
Tags: Hamas relocation Echo24 .cz
