Discovering that request surprised me, it strikes me as pragmatic and forward thinking; it also suggests that Qatar is rather keen to accede to US requests. Has that US policy changed now? If so I would have expected Qatar to expel.

> Has that US policy changed now? If so I would have expected Qatar to expel

Yes. Hamas was seen by even Israel as better than anarchy. That's why they let Doha fund them.

We're now seeing American lawmakers criticising Qatar [1]. That's prompting Dohas to "re-evaluat[e] its role as mediator in ceasefire talks" and weigh "whether to allow Hamas to continue operating [its] political office" [2][3].

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-says-gaza-ce...

[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-says-gaza-ce...

[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-considers-fu...

> Hamas was seen by even Israel as better than anarchy.

Better then anarchy or better than peace? There is some people on both sides of this conflict which are happy to see it radicalized and I think those people all benefits from the other being strong on the other side.

Better than anarchy and better Palestinians divided between Hamas and the PA is fair statement. Most Israelis don't believe any Palestinians have an interest in peace (I don't have a survey handy but I'm sure we can find one) and their actions reflect that belief. But if you can make a reasonable argument how defunding Gaza would result in peace then I'd be interesting in hearing it.

All that said, the actions taken by the Israeli right are certainly not helping the possibility of a future peace agreement, but it's not clear whether this specific action belongs in that group. One might argue that a stronger central authority in Gaza means there is a partner for a future agreement and that if Gaza can transition to be a more peaceful place (and it seemed to be heading in that direction) that would also support a future agreement.

Yes, my (probably somewhat poor) understanding is that Israel actions over the past years tended to favor Hamas and weaken PA. From declarations I read in the press I can imagine how some people are happy that peace doesn't happen so they can justify eradicating the Gaza inconvenience.

I wish I could source this but I was reading rumors earlier this weeks that the US is currently in talks with Doha to expel Hamas leadership.

I can point to a laundry list of atrocities committed by US. Should Qatar refuse to host US?

Qatar is not a western country, there is no reason to expect it to buy into western exceptionalism. This is not to defend Hamas but simply to point out that the western double standard doesn’t reach much beyond Europe.

> Should Qatar refuse to host US?

America is (a) a country and (b) major trading and security partner.

> Qatar is not a western country, there is no reason to expect it to buy into western exceptionalism

We are their security guarantor. It’s why Doha is publicly debating shutting down Hamas’ political office.