Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up Hamas

New York Times: “For years, the Qatari government had been sending millions of dollars a month into the Gaza Strip — money that helped prop up the Hamas government there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel not only tolerated those payments, he had encouraged them…”

“Allowing the payments — billions of dollars over roughly a decade — was a gamble by Mr. Netanyahu that a steady flow of money would maintain peace in Gaza, the eventual launching point of the Oct. 7 attacks, and keep Hamas focused on governing, not fighting.”

“The Qatari payments, while ostensibly a secret, have been widely known and discussed in the Israeli news media for years.”

Richard Haass: “It was a Middle East version of divide and conquer, of helping to prevent the emergence of a Palestinian partner that could advance the arrival of a Palestinian state. But what Netanyahu didn’t see coming, and which October 7 demonstrated with tragic results, is that the enemy of your enemy can still be your enemy.”