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Lessons from Doha: Eject Hamas Now

(The Hill) Ahmad Sharawi - Israel's strike on Doha shattered the illusion that Hamas's leaders could hide safely behind Gulf skylines. What is striking is not Israel's reach or boldness, but the folly of Arab states that continue to shelter and facilitate a movement that has brought them nothing but ruin. Hamas has exported conflict and invited chaos into these states. The correct lesson for Arab states to learn from the Doha airstrike is that none of them should welcome Hamas onto their soil. A course correction can take the form of expelling Hamas and delegitimizing it. Jordan previously had hosted Hamas, where it exploited its sanctuary to facilitate terror operations in Israel. Amman's calculus shifted after Israel's failed assassination attempt on Khaled Meshaal. Harboring Hamas brought more danger than benefit, and two years later, the Kingdom cracked down on the group, closed its offices and expelled its leaders. Arab states are unlikely to acknowledge that Hamas, not Israel, is responsible for the current devastation. But this narrative is challenged by the simple fact that Hamas itself seeks an endless war that entails the destruction of the Jewish State. It was Hamas that started this war, and it is Hamas that refuses to end it. Arab states must recognize that isolating and expelling Hamas would eliminate the need for Israeli strikes on Hamas offices within their borders. The U.S. should push its Arab partners to bar Hamas from establishing any presence within their borders. Isolating Hamas regionally can both delegitimize the movement in Arab eyes and reinforce the reality that it is the source of instability in the region. The writer is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2025-09-14 00:00:00
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