Senators urge Biden to include Qatar in hostage negotiations

A Republican senator and a Democrat senator have both urged President Joe Biden to pressure Qatar to negotiate a new deal for hostages in Gaza with the terrorist group Hamas.

In a letter shared with Axios on Friday, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., appealed to Biden to utilize Qatar’s reputation for mediating prisoner exchanges and its good relationship with Hamas.

“Time is of the essence to free the hostages – and every diplomatic option must be on the table to secure their release,” they wrote. “Given Qatar’s unique ability to influence Hamas, it is imperative that Doha understands our expectation that negotiations result in the release of all remaining hostages.”

This letter was sent after Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns’ meeting on Monday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Mossad head David Barnea to discuss a potential deal.

While there were hopes for a possible agreement before Christmas, Biden quickly shot down these hopes two days later, stating that he does not expect a new hostage deal anytime soon.

A source familiar with Qatari government affairs told Axios that the letter had a threatening tone towards the country, implying it could “do more to help with hostage releases, but chooses not to.”

“All our negotiating partners, and especially the U.S. and Israel, understand that Qatar is a mediator. We do not control Hamas,” the source said. “They also know that Qatar has been, and continues to be, fully committed to getting all the hostages out.”

Qatar was previously involved in an Israeli prisoner exchange with Hamas that involved the release of over 100 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for 240 Palestinians, primarily women and children.