Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and Arizona U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) sent a letter to Qatari Ambassador Meshal Al Thani, urging Qatar to condemn Hamas and extradite their leadership from Qatar’s capital, Doha.
It is imperative that Qatar:
1) Unequivocally condemn Hamas
2) Extradite Hamas leaders from Doha
3) Never let Iranians see that $6 billionThank you @RepAndyBiggsAZ and @EMET4u for your support! pic.twitter.com/0o1tblMd5A
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) October 12, 2023
“As a partner in the Middle East, we look to Qatar to demonstrate its resolve with the United States and to the cause of peace. Murder is always wrong, and we must be unequivocal when confronted with the kind of moral depravity demonstrated by Hamas,” the congressmen wrote. “Look no further than the decapitated bodies of infant children1 to assess the intrinsically evil character of those attacking Israel today.”
“Your nation’s public statements following the attack against Israel fail to inspire much confidence that Qatar is working toward the common good,” the congressmen added, noting, “Such statements have blamed Israel for the pain they are enduring.”
“These sentiments are neither factually accurate nor helpful; if anything, they are serving to embolden those terrorists waging war and capturing American and Israeli hostages,” Ogles and Biggs added.
Noting how “the whole world has seen how Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was able to celebrate his group’s “victory” from his office in Doha,” Qatar must condemn the terrorist group as questions have been rising among the American people “regarding the extent of the relationship between Qatar and Hamas.”
The GOP congressmen also urged Qatar to continue to ensure Iran never sees the funds from a $6 billion ransom agreement last month from the U.S., citing reports that Qatar agreed to place a hold on the Iranian assets being held in Doha bank accounts.
“We urge you to publicly assert your willingness to continue working with the Biden Administration to make this hold indefinite – Iran can never see these funds,” the congressmen wrote.
Ogles and Biggs went on to specifically urge Qatar to “[u]nequivocally condemn Hamas; Extradite Hamas’s leadership from Doha; and Work with the Biden Administration to ensure that Iran never sees the aforementioned funds.”
“You are either with us or with the terrorists,” the congressmen said.
In a separate statement, Tennessee’s Ogles added, “While I am happy that Qatar has chosen to freeze any remaining funds from Joe Biden to Jihadists – for the time being – the nation has not yet condemned Hamas’ horrific actions against innocent Israelis. I urge Qatar to officially condemn Hamas and cut all ties with these bloodthirsty savages.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles. Background Photo “Qatar, Katar Doha” by FLASHPACKER TRAVELGUIDE. CC BY-SA 2.0.
