Qatar’s embassy in the US then responded to the video through its own X account by stating its surprise that the House Intelligence Committee “is promoting misinformation on their official account, knowing that the Hamas political office in Qatar was opened following a request by the US to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas”.
For, as Britain’s Tony Blair came to recognise: Hamas does enjoy the legitimate status of having been the outstanding Palestinian political block, in the comprehensive 2006 round of Palestinian Authority elections. And today? Published census results continue to indicate that Hamas retains this status ‘as the most popular Palestinian Community political block – across both the West Bank Territories and in Gaza’. (The extent of this popularity? Is said to constitute an overall leading position of around 53% – with a support profile skewed particularly to Palestine’s educated classes and to her more youthful voters.)
That since 2006, there have been no further comprehensive rounds of free-and-fair election process in Palestine is attributed to two factors.
1/ the extent of apprehension within a ‘PA Old Guard’ that has become well aware of it’s own fast-declining popularity &
2/ the conspiracy by initially the US George W Bush: to seek to deny Hamas her legitimate access to electoral recognition.