Qatar’s foray into Gaza politics: Bad for Iran, good for Israel?
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/26/qatars-foray-into-gaza-politics-bad-for-iran-good-for-israel
That may explain why some analysts believe Israel and the United States gave Qatar the go-ahead for this trip, as Israel-Palestine watcher Hamadi El-Aouni told Deutsche Welle. Their goal seems to be to “re-orient” Palestinian groups away from supporters Iran and Syria and help them establish “new partners in the western-oriented and Sunni Middle Eastern countries,” the paper explains, such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and yes, Qatar. As Syria burns and Iran struggles under sanctions, these stabler and richer Sunni states — though at times perceived as too close to the U.S. or even to Israel — could be attractive allies for Hamas. Cash-strapped Palestinian groups such as Hamas must prove to Palestinians that they can provide for them, which costs money.