Discussions with the Qatari leaders regarding the developments in Palestine and ending the insane attacks and war crimes and genocide by the Israeli regime against the Palestinian nation have been at the top of agenda of Doha visit. The top Iranian diplomat also discussed the necessity to immediately stop the Israeli aggression against Gaza and sending of humanitarian aid and discussed some proposed initiatives in a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, on Monday night.
Following the phone talks, the Iranian foreign ministry reported surprise visits of Amir-Abdollahian to Qatar and Turkey. Having in mind that Doha is a mediator in the war and mediated prisoner release and humanitarian aids delivery to Gaza, it is highly likely that the Iranian diplomat visited the Arab country with a special mission.
Qatari mediation in Gaza conflict
Qatar, which has a successful track record in recent years by mediating in important regional cases, is also playing a role in the developments in Gaza these days. According to Israeli media, David Barnia, the head of the Israeli Mossad spy agency, traveled to Qatar on Thursday to discuss the case of the release of the Israeli prisoners with the authorities of this country. The talks between the two sides were reported “positive and constructive”, but no progress was made, the main reason for which was that Hamas refused to submit the names of all the Israeli prisoners to Tel Aviv, and for this reason, the Israeli government on Friday started limited ground offensive, while at the same time expanding air and naval attacks on the besieged enclave.
This is while Hamas leaders have repeatedly announced that they are willing to hand over civilian prisoners, including women and children, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children if the attacks on Gaza stop and its conditions are met.
In recent days, the release of the prisoners has become a central issue for the hardline government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Netanyahu was indifferent to the Israeli prisoners at the beginning of the war and some of his ministers said that even the prisoners could not prevent the ground attack on Gaza, with the increasing protests of the families of the prisoners against the cabinet, who blame Netanyahu for this crisis, Tel Aviv had to prioritize this issue, to the extent that Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to the Israeli women captured by Hamas on Friday: “Abducted by Hamas, which is committing war crimes, I embrace you. Our hearts are with you and with the other captives. We are doing everything to bring home all the captives and the missing,” he said. Therefore, the visit of the head of Mossad to Doha was also made in this direction to settle this matter as soon as possible.
Since Qatar has been the biggest supporter of Muslim Brotherhood in the region over the past years and the leaders of Hamas reside in Doha, it has taken a central role in the ceasefire negotiations. Even some sources say that the 5-day ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which was announced by Al-Mayadeen news network on Saturday, was part of the Mossad chief’s agreement with the Qatari authorities. According to this agreement, airstrikes were to be stopped and humanitarian aid was to be sent to the people of Gaza, and subsequently, Hamas was to release some of the prisoners, but the Israelis rejected these agreements and expanded their attacks, spoiling the prisoner swap . According to the official announcement of the Tel Aviv authorities, about 239 Israeli citizens have been captured by Hamas, and Netanyahu is under intense pressure to secure these people’s release.
In such a situation, Amir-Abdollahian’s trip to Doha is not unrelated to the negotiations between Hamas and Israel regarding the Israeli prisoners. Iran is a strategic supporter and ally of the Palestinian resistance groups and has always defended the legitimate right of the Palestinians on international stage, and in the recent Gaza war, it has firmly stood by the resistance groups and the people of Gaza and warned of the consequences should Israeli crimes continue.
An important point that can be seen in Amir-Abdollahian’s visit to Qatar is that the Islamic Republic wants to send the message to the authorities in Doha that in the negotiations with Tel Aviv about the release of the prisoners, Hamas has the upper hand, and if there is an agreement in this regard, the interests of the Palestinians should be fully taken into consideration. The cessation of ground and air attacks on Gaza and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli prisoners are the minimal demands of the Palestinians and their regional supporters repeatedly emphasized by Iran. Therefore, Iran’s FM is trying to strengthen the position of Hamas in Doha so that it can wrest concessions from the Israeli enemy at the negotiating table and avoid one-sided terms of possible agreement.
Although Amir-Abdollahian, in a conversation with the NPR announced that neither Hamas receives orders from the Islamic Republic nor Tehran gives them orders, the cooperation between the leaders of the Gaza resistance and the Iranian authorities continues as usual, and so leaders of other countries recognize Iran as a country of influence in Gaza developments.
In this connection, on Tuesday, the Foreign Minister of Ireland, in a phone call with Amir-Abdollahian asked the Islamic Republic to help release of an Irish citizen in Gaza. The Iranian FM told the Irish counterpart that Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh has agreed to release of civilians and their release will take place in a proper time. The FM’s comments on the prisoners suggest that Hamas coordinates with Tehran in this case and does not allow the Palestinian rights to be disregarded in a possible prisoner deal.
Doha mediation between Tehran and Washington
Along with Oman, Qatar has been one of the regional mediators between Iran and the US in recent years and had been capable of successful role in bringing to fruition negotiations, including a recent prisoner swap in September. Therefore, in a situation where tensions between Tehran and Washington have intensified due to the developments in Gaza, it is likely that beside the issue of prisoners and the ceasefire in Gaza, Amir-Abdollahian’s trip to Doha had to do with the military tensions between the resistance groups and Washington in the region.
After the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by Hamas and the beginning of the Israeli regime’s brutal attacks on Gaza, the resistance groups have launched attacks on the American bases in Iraq and Syria. Senior American officials, including President Joe Biden, have claimed in recent days that if Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon attack American and Israeli positions, Washington will respond. Iranian authorities have warned the White House that if they do not rein in Israel, there is no guarantee resistance groups would not attack the American bases.
Contrary to the American claims that the resistance groups in the region are under the control of Tehran, these groups have shown that they act independently and in recent days, in support of the people of Gaza, they have warned the White House officials that if the scope of the war expands, all American bases will be legitimate targets to their attacks.
Having in mind that Iran and the US have said that they are seeking heightened tensions, it seems that the Qataris are carrying a message from Washington to Tehran to ease the tensions. This is while the Islamic Republic has tied any progress in this field to the efforts of the US to stop the crimes of the Israelis in Gaza, but the senior officials of the White House show no desire to end this conflict. The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House John Kirby announced Monday night that his country does not consider ceasefire a right way in the current situation.
It is noteworthy that the driving force behind continuation of the insane Israeli attacks and the plans for a ground offensive is the substantial support of the US and the West that stand by Tel Aviv at full force. Therefore, as long as this backing continues, expecting Iran to rein in the attacks of the resistance groups on the American bases in the region is meaningless. After all, now the US is at the center of the global protests as Washington with its green light gives Tel Aviv a leeway for genocide in Gaza.
Arms aids and deployment to the Mediterranean a naval
strike group and also approving $14 billion in immediate aids to the
Israelis by the Congress are supports the Americans have already
provided to the Israeli regime. So, now it is the US that needs to
decide if it wants to get rid of the predicament Netanyahu has created,
because as the resistance groups have warned, if the Israeli military
start its ground offensive, conflict could spill over to other areas and
in this case, the Americans and Israelis will suffer more than others.
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