In late 2023, a question for a written answer was submitted to the European Parliament by an MEP regarding the influence of the "Muslim fundamentalist emirate of Qatar and the NGO Qatar Charity" in the European Union. A couple of months later, and after the October 7 massacre, the High Representative/Vice-President Joseph Borrell Fontelles replied, highlighting the "multifaceted relationship with Qatar based on mutual interest, […] on addressing shared challenges [..] and supporting Qatar in implementing its human rights reform agenda." In the same reply,y it has been noted that the EU has established a framework "for foreign direct investment and existing anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing rules, allows for screening of investment flows into the EU" to address the question that was based on Qatar's money for influence.
Qatar's sprawling influence in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the US demonstrates that it no longer wishes to be just a rich small state. It wants to be powerful, and so far, it has accomplished it. Since the early 2000s, the Emirate of Qatar has skillfully invaded Europe via its soft power by investing in real estate, signature buildings, football teams and fashion brands. Meanwhile, it has successfully penetrated European economies as a major investor in critical infrastructure and energy resources, oil companies, aerospace industry, etc. Qatar holds strategic partnerships with France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, and others. In any other occasion, Qatar's advancement in Europe would be considered normal. However, the ongoing investigation of Qatargate, the European Corruption Scandal that reaches the top echelons of the European Parliament, raises questions about the levels of corruption that the EU continues to lure itself into.
Qatargate is not the only issue that Europe disregards. Qatar is renowned for providing financial and material support to extremist groups in the Middle East, such as the Taliban, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. This activity is also a derivative of its influence. Furthermore, it runs a funding program aiming at strengthening political Islam throughout Europe and retains close relations with Turkey, another great sponsor of international terrorism. Indicative of the twisted affairs between European states and Qatar are the paradigms of Greece and Cyprus. In May, during the official visit of Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Athens and Nicosia, Greece and Cyprus agreed to strengthen their political and economic bilateral relations with Qatar.
Meanwhile, Qatar holds huge economic cooperation with Turkey. It retains strong political and ideological ties, especially in political Islam, with the AKP party of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The disturbing truth about Qatar's relations with terrorism do not dissuade both the US and the EU to assign to what they call a "friend of the West" the role as a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, despite the Doha-Gaza alliance at financial, political, and military level. Hence, as the West closes its eyes on the Qatar factor, the consequences are already evident in the US where Qatar is the largest donor in the US higher education. The latte,r in conjunction with its relations and sponsorship of terrorism,m is a well-founded explanation of the rise of antisemitism on US campuses.
When it comes to the EU, during the 2024 European elections campaign, the EU reminded its citizens of the importance of the European values and principles upon which it was founded. The Qatar-EU affair comes in sharp contrast with the latter's values: peace, freedom, security, justice. How can the EU call its citizens to remember that democracy is not given when the EU itself undermines its own principles?
The latest IDF rescue operation of four Hamas hostages in Gaza and the reaction that followed brings to the fore the stake. Words of relief for the rescue soon were replaced by condemnation of another "massacre" where the operation took place. When such statements come from high-ranking EU officials, questions are raised about the EU policies and its decision-makers, considering the predicament that this article puts in the spotlight.
A final note. Recently, Mossad issued a warning on Iranian terror plots in Europe ahead of the Paris Olympics. The target remains the same: Jews and Israelis. In view of rising antisemitism in Europe, ambivalent statements, lack of a common policy in the Israel-Hamas war, and the Qatargate, room for terror squads will be left to plan attacks against Jews. Without a coherent strategy to address the infiltration of extremism via the flow of money and given that "Never Again" has faded, the EU and the Western world will remain quiet until we all witness again the silence of the lambs.
