This Monday, the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen announced the cessation of diplomatic relations with Qatar for “supporting terrorism”. Canceled flights, uncertainty or the were some of the consequences of a political decision that took many citizens by surprise. Why had five governments suddenly decided to break with Doha and provoke a new political crisis in the Gulf? The payment of a ransom of 1,000 million by Qatar and its ‘interference’ in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran could have been the trigger.
In December 2015, some 26 people, including several members of the Qatari royal family, were kidnapped while hunting in Iraq. The area had become a regular destination among the wealthier classes of the Persian Gulf countries for traditional falcon hunting, being more permissive of this type of activity than their own regimes.
The mysterious kidnapping, which has lasted almost 18 months, could be just another episode of the ‘proxy war’ between Saudi Arabia, Sunnis, and Iran, Shiites, for hegemony in the region. . Conflicts like the one in Yemen or, especially, the one in Syria, in which both Muslim powers are placed on different sides of the trenches.
This last and particular episode has been developed with the participation of Kataeb Hezbollah (Iraqi Shiite militia related to the Libyan terrorist group of the same name) and Tahrir Al-Sham, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Syria that says it has split but according to international observers I would continue to be part of this Sunni-based jihadist organization.
As published by the Financial Times newspaper citing different sources from the sides and organizations involved, it was Kataeb Hezbollah who kidnapped the Qatari delegation in December 2015. The aim was to use the hostages (believed to have been held captive in Iran itself) as bargaining chips for members of his militia kidnapped in Syria by Tahrir al-Sham.
Some negotiations that would have also implied the evacuation of four Syrian villages (two Sunnis and two Shiites) and the cession of more territory to Hezbollah. Diplomatic sources add that this negotiation would have served Qatar to “cover up” the financing of terrorism.
Of the estimated $1 billion Qatar put on the table, some $700 million was paid to Iran, which in turn would have kept $400 million, leaving the rest to Shiite militias operating in Iraq. The other 300 went to jihadist groups, the majority being Tahrir al-Sham himself. A practice that, according to the British newspaper, the emirate has been repeating since the start of the war in Syria. Shortly after, in April of the same year, the 26 prisoners were released.
The ‘nuisances’ to Saudi Arabia
But the sending and movement of such an amount of money could not be hidden by Doha, and when asked by the international community, Qatar argued that it was a payment to Iraq for “the efforts” aimed at helping the liberation. However, the same Iraqi government has indicated that they are not aware that the money was for them, leaving in the air the possibility that it was destined for terrorist groups. In April, Iraq announced the seizure of “hundreds of millions of dollars” that arrived “illegally” on Qatari planes, although it did not specify whether it was the ransom payment.
The movement, likewise, may have been interpreted by Saudi Arabia and its allies as direct interference and, worst of all (according to their point of view), a way of financing its main rival in the Middle East, which is none other than Iran. . Qatar, the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and with the highest per capita income in the world, has used its dollars to increase its global diplomatic influence and is home to the largest US military base in the area.
Both publicly and privately, from Arabia the small emirate is accused of using propaganda, especially through the Al Jazeera network, to spread its tentacles. However, the recent visit of Donald Trump (and his well-known hostility towards Iran), would have given wings to the Saudi monarchy, always ready to try to increase its power in the region.
Relations between Qatar and other Gulf countries already suffered a period of tension in 2014 due to Doha’s alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood. However, on that occasion the measures were not so harsh, and only involved the withdrawal of the ambassadors. Now, after this new scandal, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen have completely canceled diplomatic relations.
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