Palestinian officials say Qatar gives Hamas millions of dollars, some of which they suspect is used to purchase weapons, reports the Washington Times.

A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Times last Tuesday that Qatar says “the money is for the people of Gaza, but Hamas steals it, and some of it may be used to buy weapons.”

Palestinian officials assert, however, that Qatar has been a staunch supporter and promoter of Hamas, both financially and politically. The senior aide stated that this oil-rich Gulf state has more money available to give away than even Iran and Syria do.

Despite the apparent conflict of interests, Qatar offered to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in a meeting with Knesset member Yossi Beilin on February 24.

The Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Hamed bin Jassem al-Thani, told the visiting Israeli MK, “You are making a big mistake if you think you can reach an agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas without including Hamas in the talks,” and that Israel should strive to reach a ceasefire. Qatar is one country on the list of Arab nations Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged to work toward ending Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip.

The little Gulf state of Qatar is an American ally in the war against terror. Yet it is financing a terrorist group that many countries shun diplomatically, and goes as far as to even encourage Israel to include Hamas in peace talks.

Just how far can America trust its “moderate” Arab allies in the war against terror when they act contrary to American interests in that war? These facts certainly call into question the strength of America’s ability to influence the Middle East and its Arab allies. To find out more information on the subject, read “Should America Ally With Arabs Against Iran?”