Doha Forum: a huge, terrible and alarming red flag

The Doha Forum 2025, held on Dec. 7-8 in Qatar, is one of the most disturbing events for the West and its future. The Forum brought together a number of personalities, specifically from the Arab political spectrum and, in addition, high-level politicians, bureaucrats and influencers from around the world.

This emirate, the main cashier and supporter of terrorists, funder of anti-Israeli bullying movements in major universities and cities around the world, was described by President Trump in 2017 like this:

"The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level. And in the wake of that conference, nations came together and spoke to me about confronting Qatar over its behavior. () I decided along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, our great generals and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding. They have to end that funding. And its extremist ideology in terms of funding."

The country is ruled by an absolute hereditary monarchy whose first constitutional article declares, "Qatar is an independent Arab country. Islam is its religion and Sharia law is the main source of its legislation." Yet, the slogan of its lavish event this year was: "Justice in Action." Mubarak Ajlan Al-Kuwari, executive director of the Doha Forum, assured Euronews that the theme "reflects what people want." He also explained that one of the Forum's major concerns is the gap between the global north and south and argued that those inequalities stem from "systems built without wide representation."

Put like that, it would seem like a bad joke. But no: he was completely serious.

The guest list was a colorful array of figures, such as CNN anchorwoman Christiane Amanpour, who, in 2023 had described the cold-blooded murder of three Israeli women as a "shooting." There was also the controversial U.N. official Francesca Albanese. Also in attendance were Donald Trump Jr., Hillary Clinton, Pierre Krähenbühl, the former commissioner-general of UNRWA who resigned amid an ethics scandal, and Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative. The forum also drew Bill Gates, whose foundation announced a partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development to promote global health, climate-resilient agriculture, and support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Other notable speakers included former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

What was said at the forum: attacks on Israel and its supporters

Beyond the showy visits, the theme that dominated the talks was the need for the Israel-Gaza cease-fire agreement to advance to a new phase. For example, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke of the rapid deployment of an international cease-fire monitoring force. Qatar is also pushing for the new phase, although the body of an Israeli hostage remains held by Hamas, and the new phase cannot begin before all hostages are returned. What is certain is that negotiations to consolidate the U.S.-backed truce are at a critical juncture.

The U.S. special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack made one of the most controversial statements, suggesting that Israel is not a democracy. "We have never had a democracy in [the Middle East]...I don't see a democracy, " said Barrack, adding that "Israel can claim it is a democracy, but in this region, what's worked the best, whether you like it or you do not like it, is a benevolent monarchy."

Not far behind was the self-proclaimed Syrian president, Ahmed al Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohamed al Golani, until recently an al Qaeda-linked terrorist leader for whom the State Department was offering $10 million. Golani accused Israel of taking advantage of Oct. 7 and its security concerns. Curious statements coming as Syrian minorities are being slaughtered and international agencies, including the U.N., have accused his regime's forces of brutally targeting Druze in Sweida and Alawites in Latakia.

One of the most revealing participations was that of Manal Radwan, a Saudi Foreign Ministry official, who harshly criticized Israel. Radwan praised the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas. In an unprecedentedly disingenuous exercise, she condemned the Israeli government for rejecting the two-state solution and inciting violence against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. Radwan's views are in line with those of Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief, who called Israel the main danger in the region, greater than Iran because of its actions following the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023. This upsurge in criticism comes against the backdrop of the stalled Abraham Accords. Radwan's assertion overlooks the fact that the Palestinian Authority has for years sustained the "pay-to-kill" system, which awards lifetime stipends to the families of terrorists who attack Israelis, among other details of corruption, violence and inefficiency by Abbas's leadership.

"The orgy of cynicism, lies and hypocrisy on display this weekend in Doha portends pressure on Israel that is already beginning to mount."

Saudi Arabia has hardened its rhetoric against Israel for several reasons among which a strategic shift stands out. Prior to Oct. 7, 2023, normalization seemed close because of fear of Iran and because U.S. military gains depended on that agreement. But that calculus changed after the June 12, 2025 war: the Israeli strikes seriously weakened Iran and the Saudi threat perception. To top it off, the November 2025 summit with Trump also delinked U.S. security guarantees from normalization. This turn finds fertile ground in public opinion: recent polls show massive levels of Saudi rejection of normalization. Unlike the United Arab Emirates, which pushed for sweeping educational reforms and today enjoys flourishing relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia kept very negative social perceptions intact.

Another incendiary statement at the event came from Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani, who announced that his country will not pay for the reconstruction of Gaza. The irony is lacerating, the same country that for years harbored Hamas leaders and served them as a diplomatic lifeline now pretends to disengage from its responsibility in the disaster. The Qatari protected and funded Hamas turned Gaza into a fortress of tunnels, a rocket arsenal and a launching pad for the Oct. 7 massacre.

Tucker Carlson shook up the Doha Forum by openly attacking Israel and Israel's defenders in Washington, deepening the fracture within the Republican Party over Middle East policy and the growing tension over anti-Semitism in MAGA. Queried by Doha News about AIPAC, Carlson claimed that "some are seeking to put our population into mental bondage," while, off camera, his friend Neil Patel posted photos of the host making rude gestures directed at conservative critics. The images, along with the statements, trended throughout the weekend, fueling the charge of hypocrisy: denouncing foreign influences while nonchalantly using the Qatari-funded platform to spread Judeophobic libel. To crown the scandal, Carlson announced that he plans to buy a house in Doha, adding that it will not be with Qatari money, but with his own. Trying to joke with the accusations that many sectors have been making against him, although the truth is that the irony failed him.

A coordinated sabotage of Washington-Jerusalem relations

Faced with this spectacle, the response of the Israeli Minister for the Diaspora and the Fight against Anti-Semitism, Amichai Chikli, was categorical. He described the Forum as:

"Doha, the world capital of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ATM of Hamas, is opening this weekend its annual Terror Laundering Gala, the @DohaForum. On stage, under crystal chandeliers Ahmad al Sharaa – former Al Qaeda commander who drowned Syria in blood, now scrubbed and airbrushed as 'Mr President.'. @JZarif – foreign minister of Iran’s terror regime. @HakanFidan – Erdogan’s Islamist enforcer. All beaming for @AlJazeera, the global megaphone of the Muslim Brotherhood. (...) And who flies in to bless this spectacle @TuckerCarlson: – Mr. 'I’m just asking questions,' the man who described Hamas jihadists as a 'political party' and wondered 'what is so bad about Sharia,' now arriving with his entourage to bow before Qatar’s prime minister on stage. In the end, just as in Tolkien’s epic, the real question floating above the hall is not political. It is the oldest moral test known to humanity. Can a person refuse the temptation of power, money, and prestige when they are offered in the service of evil? In Doha, this test is not merely failed, it is celebrated!”

Chikli is right to point out the dark moral moment of the event. The orgy of cynicism, lies and hypocrisy on display this weekend in Doha portends pressure on Israel that is already beginning to mount. Statements by some members of the Trump Administration recall the posturing of the worst moments of the Biden Administration.

Meanwhile, what is certain is that it is very difficult to argue that there is a real cease-fire in Gaza. Almost daily skirmishes continue along the Yellow Line, and Hamas is entrenched in areas that Israel vacated following the 20-point agreement announced by Donald Trump in September, which includes disarming Hamas. In the coming days, the Peace Board, chaired by Trump himself, would be announced to oversee the transition. But no one is addressing the central problem: Hamas does not plan to disarm. Its external leader, Khaled Mashaal, the target of the failed Israeli attack in Doha, reiterated, while the Forum was taking place, that the group will neither relinquish control of Gaza nor accept international supervision, including that of Trump's future International Force.

Qatari checkbook diplomacy unabashedly showed its objective: to ensure that the pressure is on Israel, not Hamas and its patrons. The great unknown is whether Donald Trump will stick to his 20-point plan, which demands the disarmament of Hamas as a condition for the reconstruction of Gaza, or whether he will give in to Qatar and its partners. For now, the alarm set off by the Doha Forum was the blatant moral validation of the participating actors and the coordinated sabotage of U.S.-Israel relations.