SE North Carolina News

Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina has joined a group of Republican senators in urging the Biden administration to alter its policy towards Qatar, particularly concerning Hamas officials residing there. The request was made through a letter directed to the Department of Justice and the Department of State.

The letter calls for immediate actions, including freezing the assets of Hamas officials living in Qatar and extraditing several senior Hamas leaders currently residing in Qatar and elsewhere. Notably, Khaled Meshal, who has been indicted by the Department of Justice, and Khalil Al-Hayya are mentioned as key figures for extradition.

Senators Roger Wicker from Mississippi and Jim Risch from Idaho led this initiative. They were joined by Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Ted Cruz, Deb Fischer, Tom Cotton, Joni Ernst, Dan Sullivan, Kevin Cramer, Rick Scott, Tommy Tuberville, and Pete Ricketts.

The letter highlights an opportunity following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli Defense Forces. It suggests that this could be a pivotal moment for the United States to push for Hamas' surrender to end ongoing conflicts initiated by their attacks on October 7, 2023. This attack resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths and numerous hostages being taken.

The senators criticize the current administration's policy allowing Qatar to facilitate negotiations with Hamas leadership based in Doha. They argue that this arrangement has enabled Hamas leaders to oppose ceasefire talks publicly while hosting Iranian officials and traveling abroad freely.

Qatari officials have reportedly expressed willingness to change their stance if requested by the U.S. administration. The letter urges such a request to freeze assets and restrict international media access for Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Furthermore, it calls for seeking indictments against other senior Hamas officials abroad like Khalil Al-Hayya. According to reports from The New York Times cited in the letter, Al-Hayya sought support from Iran and Hezbollah for attacks on Israel before October 7th's events.

The letter concludes with an appeal for swift action against what it describes as an Iranian-backed terrorist organization responsible for significant violence across the region.