The tiny Persian Gulf country has been working for years in Washington to change its image as a backer of violent Islamist groups.
By Caitlin Oprysko and Daniel Barnes
The Israel-Hamas peace deal wasn’t just a landmark moment for President Donald Trump — it was also a momentous achievement for Qatar and its army of lobbyists in Washington.
For years, its K Street hands have been working to reshape the image of the tiny Persian Gulf country from backer of Islamist movements to diplomatic power broker and U.S. partner. After Qatar played a major role in mediating the peace talks, the country’s lobbyists are taking a bow. They hope this establishes Qatar’s reputation as a peacemaker in the region and puts to rest accusations that it’s responsible for harboring terrorists and boosting anti-Israel sentiment within the United States once and for all.
“I think it’s reasonable to assume that they put a certain amount of pressure on Hamas to accept the deal. That’s what a good negotiator has to do,” said former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who has lobbied for the Qatari government for nearly a decade. “I think the people who look at this objectively are going to give credit to Qatar.”
Even in the days since the announcement of the peace deal, more evidence has emerged to illustrate the extent to which Qatar’s efforts to woo Washington are paying dividends.
On Friday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon had signed off on a deal to open a facility in Idaho that will host a squad of Qatari Air Force jets and pilots. Though the deal drew backlash from some conservatives, it was a major win for Qatar. Hours earlier, Republicans in the Senate sank a Democratic push to block funding for the Trump administration to convert a luxury jetliner gifted by Qatar to be used as Air Force One.
It’s a marked turnaround from almost a decade ago, when powerful neighbors like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led others in the region in severing diplomatic ties. They effectively put in place a blockade against Qatar that lasted for virtually the entire first Trump administration.
Qatar began heavily investing in lobbying during the blockade. Doha’s pleas for U.S. intervention fell short against the more formidable Washington influence operations wielded by the Saudis and UAE, and when human rights watchdogs accused the country of violations linked to the Qatar-hosted 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Among the fixers brought on during that time were Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was then a lobbyist at Ballard Partners.
Qatar’s image rehab took another hit at the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war in 2023, with critics accusing Doha of using its partnerships with U.S. universities to indoctrinate American students and promote antisemitism. Detractors also highlighted the fact that Hamas’ political leadership has been based in the country, despite Qatar agreeing to do so at the request of the U.S.
The Qatari government has spent more than $12 million on lobbyists, consultants and PR gurus since the end of 2023, according to Justice Department filings. Those hired guns have pushed hard to counter the negative narrative, which they allege has been pushed by Gulf rivals and pro-Israel voices. They’ve sought to present the country, which is home to the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, as a regional peacemaker — a role that will likely be highlighted even more should this peace deal hold.
“We have been working hard to just basically say, ‘Look at the facts,’” said one lobbyist for the country, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The peace deal this week has lent an air of vindication to the victory lap by Doha’s consultants.
“These are all validators by the Trump administration that the Qataris were working in good faith and that they were always trying to get these hostages free,” the lobbyist argued.
“What they did certainly runs counter to the narrative of many that these people can’t be trusted and they’re our enemy,” they added. “So somewhere along the line, somebody’s not right. It’s either the people who are saying they’re the enemy or it’s the Trump administration.”
Brokering this deal “would solidify Qatar’s indispensable position as the world’s trusted mediator,” said Todd Webster of Cornerstone Government Affairs, a registered lobbyist for Qatar. “Time and again, the world has seen that when you want to make peace, you call Doha.”
But one of the biggest breaks for peace talks had nothing to do with lobbying strategy.
“I can’t see a bigger backfire than Israel bombing Doha,” said the Qatar lobbyist, referring to September’s Israeli air strikes against Hamas negotiators. “Everything opened up because of that one move.”
Asked how Qatar’s lobbyists sought to capitalize on the strikes, the lobbyist told POLITICO: “There wasn’t much we needed to do because of what Trump did. … I’m not sure he does all that stuff if Israel didn’t do this.”
A person familiar with the matter also credited a close personal relationship between Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani for laying the groundwork, noting that the quartet found common ground in their businessmen roots.
“If the president doesn’t get along with the leader of your country, you’re kind of screwed,” they said. “Doesn’t matter how good the lobbyist is.”
Qatar continues to have its critics in Washington. Trump ally and conservative activist Laura Loomer blasted Friday’s announcement about the military facility in Idaho, writing in a post on X: “This is a set up for America to be attacked by Islamic savages from Qatar, the biggest funders of Islamic terror in the entire world. … I need to see how much more of my life I am going to dedicate to a party that won’t address the threat of Islam in the West.”
But if Qatar is able to build a reputation as peacemaker, it could open new doors for foreign investment in Qatar and Qatari investment in Western nations, said Ben Freeman, who studies the country’s influence for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
