Secret Paris Meeting With Qatar's Ex-PM Shaped Gaza's Fate
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
A secret 2011 meeting in Paris between Israeli PM Netanyahu and former Qatari PM HBJ, facilitated by French President Sarkozy, established Qatar's central role in Gaza. The meeting, initially presented as concerning the Shalit deal, also involved Qatari funding for Gaza's reconstruction, including building materials. This influx of materials, largely undisclosed, is linked to Hamas's later development of its tunnel network, potentially setting the stage for the October 7th attacks. The full implications of this meeting are still being uncovered.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A secret 2011 Paris meeting between Netanyahu and ex-Qatari PM HBJ established Qatar's Gaza role.
- The meeting facilitated the Shalit deal and Qatari funding for Gaza reconstruction.
- Increased building materials entered Gaza post-meeting, aiding Hamas's tunnel development.
- Qatar bypassed Egyptian mediation, becoming a key intermediary with Hamas.
- The meeting's details were initially concealed, revealed years later by HBJ.
A secret meeting in Paris in May 2011 between then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) was pivotal in establishing Qatar's significant role in the Gaza Strip, according to revelations from HBJ himself in a 2022 interview. The meeting, facilitated by then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, ostensibly focused on the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal but also included discussions about rebuilding Gaza with Qatari funding, a detail largely undisclosed at the time.
At the time of the meeting, Qatar, through HBJ's "cash diplomacy," was already a major player in the Arab Spring, funding various Islamist movements. The Paris encounter, held discreetly at the Élysée Palace, allowed Qatar to bypass Egyptian mediation and position itself as a key intermediary with Hamas. HBJ revealed that the deal involved not only the release of Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar, but also the entry of building materials like cement and steel into Gaza, which Israel had previously restricted.
Following the Paris meeting, there was a dramatic increase in the volume of construction materials entering Gaza. This influx, facilitated by Qatari funding and coordination, is presented as a direct precursor to the extensive tunnel network Hamas later developed, referred to as "Gaza Metro." The article suggests that this decision point, made over a decade ago, may have laid the groundwork for the events of October 7th.
Details of the meeting were initially obscured by official Israeli statements focusing on a potential natural gas deal with Qatar. The true nature of the discussions only emerged years later through HBJ's interview. The article also touches upon the complex dynamics of the Shalit deal negotiations, including the initial reluctance of Israeli officials like David Medan, who was then the special envoy, to engage with Qatar due to concerns about its regional alignment, and the eventual shift away from Egyptian mediation.
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