The world at large has become polarized by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, with many countries demanding the Jewish State restrain itself. The Persian Gulf country of Qatar is an American ally that also protects Hamas leadership, a situation in which Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is demanding reconsideration of the country's status as a major non-NATO ally.
In a bill named the Reviewing Qatar's Major Non-NATO Ally Status Act that Sen. Scott introduced with Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be required to explain why it remains in the United States' national security interest to keep Qatar around as an ally.
Additionally, Sec. Blinken must prove the Persian Gulf country "has exerted any and all leverage it has over Hamas to secure the release of United States hostages from Gaza," does not support or finance Hamas' terrorism, or continue to allow its leadership such as Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Mashal, or other implicated in the October 7th terror attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and over 200 taken hostage.
In his press release, Sen. Scott said, "Qatar has not been a good ally or partner to the United States for years and its recent behavior dealing with Hamas is telling. This is a so-called ally that hasn’t done squat to secure the release of American hostages while funding Hamas leaders' luxury lifestyles and allows its state-funded media to bash Israel and praise terrorists. Qatar enjoys many of the benefits of being an American ally, including hosting a U.S. military base. But if it won’t show up and prove themselves as an ally by doing everything possible to get our hostages home and putting an end to any support for terrorist organizations, it should face the consequences of its actions with the potential termination as a non-NATO ally."
At the beginning of April, the Florida Senator discussed the troubling nature of Qatar's apparent duplicity in an appearance on Fox News Sunday, "How do you have a military base in the same place where your enemy is being hosted by the government? How can we do that?"
