The recent Israeli attack targeting leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas inside Qatar has raised serious questions about the future of these leaders’ continued presence in Qatar, especially in light of US pressure on Doha and threats issued by Tel Aviv through its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the “diplomatic dome” that some capitals had provided to Hamas was no longer secure. In a televised speech, he said: “I say to Qatar and all countries that harbor terrorists: Either expel them or bring them to justice, because if you do not, we will take care of it,” as he put it.
Netanyahu would not have made such threats and intimidation were it not for the unconditional American complicity and support for all his actions, even at the expense of those Washington calls “allies.” Israel’s technological superiority, which, according to the government’s doctrine, makes geopolitics a secondary factor. This raises the question of whether other Arab and Islamic countries, including Morocco, could host the remaining Hamas leaders, or whether the movement would be forced to go underground. This reflects the limited options available to it in light of an international and regional project seeking to end its presence, especially its military presence.
Moroccan estimates
Ouss Al-Rimal, head of the Unity and Reform Movement, told Hespress that “the occupying Israeli entity had previously assassinated Khalil Al-Wazir, known as Abu Jihad, in 1988 inside Tunisian territory. There was a first attempt to assassinate him via an airstrike, but the international community’s condemnation at the time prompted the Zionist Mossad to send a commando unit to assassinate him in the Sidi Bou Said suburb of the capital, Tunis.”
Commenting on the targeting of Hamas leaders in Doha, Al-Ramal added, “The presence of Hamas leadership in Qatar came after its withdrawal from Syria, and this was done with an American green light so that the movement would remain capable and present in the negotiations. Qatar also played an important role in mediating and concluding hostage exchange deals, but all of this did not help it in the face of the presence of a person at the head of the occupation government whose sound mind and sound actions are not trustworthy.”
The same spokesperson pointed out that"under the current circumstances, Hamas's leadership may be forced to return to hiding and operating in secret in the absence of any security guarantees," emphasizing that "Morocco has traditionally received Hamas delegations with protection and guarantees from the Moroccan authorities, but circumstances have changed in the Kingdom today, with nothing that could deter the Zionist occupation government from targeting any country where the movement's leaders might be present."
Al-Ramal noted that "Morocco's hosting of these leaders is a decision that can only be made at the highest levels in the kingdom. This step requires assessments from the Moroccan leadership, both from a security perspective and beyond. Making a decision of this nature is not easy, and it is not easy for a country to choose to host Hamas leaders who are being officially and publicly persecuted."
Global project
In a related context, political analyst Saeed Barkanan explained that “there has been a global project in the works for some time to end the presence of armed movements outside the framework of states in the Middle East, North Africa, and Africa, especially in the areas surrounding Israel. This has already begun with Hezbollah, whose presence has been almost completely eliminated, while Hamas remains a resistance force. Individual targeting of its leaders has been resorted to in order to end it, or at least eliminate its military wing.”
In a statement to Hespress, Berknane emphasized that"what confirms this trend is that Russia itself dissolved the Wagner Group, which was active in the Sahel region, and replaced it with the Russian army's African Corps. The same applies to what happened in Syria with the integration of armed militias into the state. If this indicates anything, it indicates the existence of a globally and even Arab-agreed project to end the presence of any irregular armed organizations."
He added,"The recent operation targeting Qatar confirms the existence of global collusion facilitating Israel's efforts to liquidate and pursue Hamas leaders," emphasizing that "Hamas leaders may be embraced by Iran, but as for Arab countries, including Morocco, this is highly unlikely because these countries are also part of the New Middle East project, in which Hamas may be present, but only as a political movement, not a military one."
Berknan pointed out that "the outlines of this global trend and project are beginning to emerge in North Africa itself, where talk began two years ago about designating the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. In this regard, the United States is pressuring Algeria to accept autonomy to avoid ending the physical presence of the separatist Polisario Front, an inevitable next step if the separatist party continues its intransigence."
