(New York, N.Y.) — Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and CEP President Frances F. Townsend are calling on all responsible parties in the United Kingdom to set aside Qatar’s vast holdings until Qatar detains Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and other Hamas leaders responsible for the October 7 massacre in Israel and ensures the safe return of all hostages.
Qatar has more than $40 billion in UK assets and $10 billion in property estates at 4,000 different UK sites, including luxury mansions and hotels. The Gulf state is the 10th largest landowner in Britain, owning more British property than the King of England. As disclosed two days ago, London is also home to former Hamas leader Muhammad Qassem Sawalha.
Ambassador Wallace and former U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Townsend stated:
“Qatar benefits from a vast amount of wealth in the UK—and the return on these investments goes straight into Hamas’s pocket. Nobody with a semblance of ethical understanding should allow for the repatriation of such funds while Hamas’s leadership sits in luxury in Doha in the wake of their slaughter of innocents. Rather than line the pockets of terrorists, revenue from these holdings must be placed in segregated escrow until Qatar’s leadership remands Ismail Haniyeh and closes Hamas’s office in Doha.”
The events following October 7 show Qatar to be complicit in the harboring of terrorists and the promotion of their activities:
Ismail Haniyeh planned and celebrated the Israeli massacre from his office in Doha, as did former Hamas leader and Haniyeh’s predecessor, Khaled Meshaal.
- Mere hours after the slaughter, Qatar’s foreign ministry claimed to “hold Israel solely responsible for the ongoing escalation [i.e. the massacre of Israeli women and children by Hamas] due to its ongoing violations.”
- On October 11, Haniyeh called for supporters around the world to join Hamas in its violent barbarism. The video address was aired on the Qatari-owned and controlled network, Al Jazeera.
- On October 12, Meshaal echoed Haniyeh’s address from Qatar, calling for an October 13 “Day of Rage.”
- On October 14, Qatar hosted a meeting between Haniyeh and Iran’s foreign minister, who congratulated Haniyeh on his successful execution of thousands of innocent Israelis.
- Qatar hosted this meeting on the same day that it blatantly lied to reporters about Haniyeh’s presence in the country.
- On October 16, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to close Hamas’ political office or detain any senior Hamas figures.
- On October 19 while in Qatar, Meshaal flatly refused to acknowledge any harm inflicted upon Israeli civilians, referring to the massacre as “an ingenious moment.”
CEP called on Qatar to arrest Hamas leadership in 2017. They have refused to do so, instead financing the terrorist organization since at least 2018 to the tune of $360 to $480 million annually.
CEP has also demanded that Qatar and the Al Thani Royal Family detain Haniyeh and other Doha-based Hamas leadership. They have refused. CEP then called for a global Qatar asset freeze until and unless Doha complies. They have not responded. On Friday, CEP followed up with a call to boycott Qatari hotels worldwide.
CEP now calls on all UK-based assets to suspend the repatriation of revenues to Qatar. Qatar’s vast holdings in the UK include:
- Harrods
- Canary Wharf Group
- The Ritz Hotel
- The Savoy Hotel
- The Shard
- The Chelsea Barracks
Any individual or entity that allows this kind of wealth to be repatriated to Qatar should face legal and moral consequences for returning funds to a safe haven for pereptrators of one of the most heinous acts of barbarism in living memory.
To read The Times report on CEP’s call to boycott Qatar’s London hotels, click here.
To read The Wall Street Journal’s report on UANI and CEP’s previous call to action, please click here.
To read The Telegraph’s report citing CEP’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Wallace’s call for a Qatari asset freeze until it surrenders Hamas leadership to the U.S. and/or Israel, please click here.
To read CEP’s report, Qatar: Extremism and Terrorism, please click here.
CEP has already called on Qatar to expel Hamas leadership, but they continue to enable terrorist behavior. To read CEP’s HARBORS Campaign Report on Qatar, please click here.
To read UANI’s report Qatar an Impediment to Unity on Iran, please click here.
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