Qatar Embassy in the U.S.: We Were Surprised by Representative Hoyer's Threat to Reassess Relations with Doha

The Qatari Embassy in the United States issued a statement today, Tuesday, expressing surprise at the remarks made by U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer regarding the hostage crisis in Gaza and his threat to "reassess" U.S. relations with Qatar. Hoyer stated in a release, "The consequences should include cutting off funding to Hamas or refusing to grant Hamas leaders asylum in Doha. If Qatar fails to exert this pressure, the United States must reassess its relationship with Qatar." In response, Qatar described Hoyer's comments as "unconstructive." The embassy's statement said, "Qatar is only a mediator; we do not control Israel or Hamas. Hamas and Israel are solely responsible for reaching an agreement." The embassy added, "Of course, recent progress has been slow, and Representative Hoyer is not the only one feeling frustrated. However, blame and threats are not constructive." The statement noted that Qatar is one of the prominent non-NATO allies, hosting 10,000 U.S. troops and the largest American military presence in the Middle East.