Qatar is an ATM for terrorists, says American analyst

CAIRO – 11 June 2017: Qatar represents a cash machine to fund Hamas and terrorist organizations in Syria and Libya, Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Egypt Today on Sunday.

Qatar is an ATM to fund terrorists, Schanzer said, adding that it was also proven that Qatari money reached Shitte militias in Iraq.

Schanzer is a Middle East analyst and author; he served as a counterterrorism analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and was previously a Research Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“We know that a lot of money goes to different groups, in addition to the political support to organizations like Taliban,” Schanzer said.

He added that Hamas, whose military wing has been listed as a terrorist group by the U.S., holds its press conferences in Qatar and that “members of Islamist organizations move freely in it.”

It was a matter of time for the whole world to notice this, Schanzer stated, adding that Qatar’s neighbors in the Gulf and Egypt have been angry at the small Gulf state for years.
Earlier this week, several Arab countries announced cutting off diplomatic ties with Qatar over its alleged support of terrorism.

According to Schanzer, the current crisis will not be eliminated unless Qatar answers to the demands of its neighbors and halts its support of terrorism.