According to the report, which is based on a WikiLeaks document, Mubarak claimed that Syria and Qatar offered Hamas$50 million to keep soldier Gilad Shalit in captivity in order to impede a prisoner swap deal with Israel brokered by Egypt.
The US general quoted Mubarak in a cable sent to Washington. The document does not specify whether Hamas accepted the offer and does not contain details regarding the proposed payment method.
Mubarak apparently made the comments three months before Israel received a video tape showing Gilad Shalit in what then appeared as a breakthrough in efforts to release him.
According to the Norwegian report, which was quoted in Al Jazeera and Palestinian media, WikiLeaks papers provide additional details regarding Egypt's involvement in the deal. Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, the former intelligence minister, had a major role in efforts to free the kidnapped soldier
Syria's involvement is well understood, but how about Qatar. For a few years now they have been trying to play both games, deal with Iran while maintaining low key relations with Israel. It seems, by now, it is obvious on which horse Qatar is putting its money.
It would seem to me that Qatar has a vested interest in the survival of the brutal islamist dictatorship set by the Hamas in the Gaza strip and they are willing to shell out a lot of money to perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Coincidentally, Qatar is run by an autocrat who wants you to demand that his news network, Al Jazeera, be streamlined to every television set in north America.
This would be a bad idea...
-QP
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