Trump hosts Qatari leaders, hails their desire for Mideast peace

By Jacob Magid

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22 September 2024, 7:45 pm

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

File - US President Donald Trump, right, shaking hands with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, during a bilateral meeting at a hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh, May 21, 2017. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

Former US president Donald Trump met earlier today with Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

In a Truth Social post revealing the meeting, Trump hails the leadership of Qatar, which has come under attack from many Republican lawmakers over the past year for hosting Hamas and its bankrolling of the Al Jazeera news network.

Qatar argues that the request to open a Hamas bureau in Doha came from the US, which has under Democrat and Republican administrations supported its continued operations. The Biden administration has been particularly complimentary of Qatar’s efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing Gaza war.

“The emir has proven to be a great and powerful leader of his country, advancing on all levels at record speed,” Trump says in his Truth Social post.

“He is someone also who strongly wants peace in the Middle East and all over the world,” the Republican presidential nominee continues. “We had a great relationship during my time in the White House, and it will be even stronger this time around!”