The Qatari regime is due to soon fall apart, even as its influence reaches far abroad, including to the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, Qatari dissident Khalid al-Hail told Maariv in an interview published on Saturday.
The "regime in Doha is on the verge of collapse and won't last many more years," he told the Israeli outlet.
Hail is a human rights activist and has previously been imprisoned in Qatar.
When asked to elaborate on his belief that the Qatari government would collapse, Hail said, “It won’t hold for many more years. There will certainly be a fundamental change; not only do I think so, but so do all the intelligence reports we are exposed to, and I know this from my direct contacts."
Hail continued, "Since August of this year, there has been serious activity to change the regime in order to stop what is being done in Qatar."
The Qatari dissident informed Maariv of a message passed on to him by "a very important person" who spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said that the US government agreed to protect Qatar, but not the Emir or his rule.
"The Qatari people need to understand that protection for the country already existed - Trump only confirmed it with his decree. What they don’t realize is that we, the Qataris, are zealous about our homeland. I, as a Qatari citizen, am zealous for my homeland, but I oppose my country being in the hands of a vile and despicable regime."
He added that the country's Emir, Tamim bin Hamad, is "the greatest liar in history. In the past, he treated me with respect and told me on the phone, ‘Let’s meet one-on-one in Qatar, nobody will touch you.’ The moment I arrived, they put me in prison.”
When asked what information he had about Qatari funding of Israeli media outlets, Hail said, “I can’t speak directly at the moment, but I’ve seen articles published by official bodies, such as Haaretz. I’m not speaking specifically, but generally, about the newspaper’s narrative.”
Maariv then asked him whether he was saying Qatar was partly funding Haaretz.
“I’m not saying the funding is entirely from Qatar, but I’m saying that Qatari influence exists through PR firms that affect the paper," Hail responded. "It adopts the same approach that exists within the Qatari regime. There is a report published by the ‘Khaled al-Hail’ Institute (founded by Al-Hail) called Qatar Narrative Watch. We relied on the whole month of September on all the news published about Qatar."
The Qatari official continued, saying, "We took 500 news items, which include articles, interviews, and the like, and from those, we found that much information originates with the Qatari government and is promoted indirectly through actors and institutes.
"It’s not just indirect influence from Qatar, but also direct involvement - buying people. That is the message I send to the Qatari people and the Israeli people,” he added.
1995 Qatari coup
Asked about the 1995 Qatari coup, and what role Sheikha Moza, the Emir’s mother, played therein, Hail said, "The Emir's father, Hamad bin Khalifa, deposed his father, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad, at a very difficult time for the country. The influence of ‘the Hamads’ at that time, meaning Former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim and Hamad bin Khalifa, was greater than what the latter's father could handle. Their influence had already begun several years earlier, when Jassim was nothing at the time, but his influence on the sheikh’s brothers, Abdullah and Mohammed, helped legitimize Khalifa’s coup against his father."
"What people don’t know is that Sheikha Moza’s father, Bint Nasser, was the leader of the Qatari opposition. To solve this problem, Hamad bin Khalifa married Sheikha Moza, and the two brought into the world the current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
"Those who actually rule Qatar are not bin Khalifa’s eldest sons, but Moza’s elder sons - former Qatari crown prince Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who gave up the rule in favor of Tamim bin Hamad.”
Is Moza’s worldview the one that runs Qatar?
Maariv then asked if Sheikha Moza’s worldview was the one that runs Qatar.
“Moza, undoubtedly, has influence. After all, she is Emir Tamim's mother, so she has a direct influence on him. At the same time, she has always been present in the fields of education, in institutions, and in shaping worldviews. There’s no doubt that she has a direct influence on the Emir.”
Asked about how he was treated in prison, Hail said, “They say they are democratic and human rights protectors... It’s all lies. Qatar is not a democratic state; it’s an absolute monarchy, non-constitutional. There is no real law. I was imprisoned by the state security apparatus. Seventeen, eighteen hours a day, I didn’t sleep. Round-the-clock interrogations, all empty talk, lies, and false accusations.
“The real Qatari people are completely different from what you see on television. Most of those you see there are naturalized citizens. Imagine, during Qatar’s crisis, we have Palestinians, Egyptians, Iranians, and Yemenis here. We have internal problems, but the main problem is when a foreign agenda is imposed on us. Ninety percent of the Qatari people have a fear of the government," he added.
Asked what his message would be to the Israeli people, the Qatari people, and the Qatari emir, Hail said, “My message to Emir Tamim is clear: stop with the adventures, because you are endangering the Qatari people. You know this will not go unanswered, and there will be problems we won't need. You provoked Iran, and the Iranians attacked you. You provoked Israel, and the Israelis attacked you. I’m not trying to frighten the people, but they must stand up to this tyrannical regime.
“To the government in Israel, I would like to say: Do not agree to establish relations with the Qatari regime at this time. Not in security terms, and not as mediators. In general, do not agree to anything except only after the end of the influence of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all the terrorists that the Qatari regime supports.”