Fox News’ Peter Doocy, confronted White House officials on Thursday about its friendly overtures towards Qatar in order to help secure the release of American hostages from Gaza despite the fact that it is the home to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“Oh, geez, Peter. John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, responded: “Let’s step back and take a look at this.”
Doocy said, “They’re a terrorist organization that has killed Americans and kidnapped Americans in the last month.”
Kirby said that Qatat was “helpful” in getting Americans to leave Gaza and that his country played a key role in the negotiations.
Qatar has communication lines with Hamas which almost no one else has. I don’t mean to say that we support Hamas. Of course, we don’t. They are a terrorist group. Israel has a right to pursue them. “But Qatar has communication lines that nobody else has,” Kirby said.
He said that the media would be harsh on the government if it didn’t do everything possible to free the Americans.
Kirby, however, did not answer Doocy’s question about Qatar’s decision to allow the leader of Hamas to reside in its country.
