'Qatar wants Hamas to be there' - Leading exiled opposition activist, Khalid al-Hail, breaks silence on Qatari regime tactics

In comments sounding strikingly similar to interviews with the exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, Khalid al-Hail has been speaking out against Qatar from a safe distance, presenting himself as the leader of the opposition and the head of the Democratic Party.

In his first ever interview in English, he spoke to journalist Erin Moran about the Qatari regime from his base in the UK, and outlined the danger he believed they presented to the world, warning, “This regime has an expiry date.” 

Al-Hail is the founder of the Qatar National Democratic Party (QNDP), which calls for a constitutional monarchy in the emirate. The businessman says he was jailed and tortured due to his political activity, and later emigrated to London in 2015, fearing for his life ever since.

Speaking with Molan, he accused the regime of using money to “rent loyalty,” cautioning that “renting influence is temporary. It's for today, tomorrow, and after tomorrow. But things are changing.”

“The world is changing. Money will buy silence for a short period of time. But to stop a terrorist regime, like the Qatari regime, you have to go to the source of the issue,” he insisted. “They have an enormous access to money, and that’s the problem. So if you stop that, you stop terrorism in the world, and it should be controlled."

“What people need to understand is that there is the other side. There is the other voice inside the country. We cannot talk. I am here talking because I am in a different country, and I can say what I want to say,” he added, explaining how his opposition had been gathering pace since 2010.

“We are the solution,” he asserted. “We have no affiliation with extremists or terrorists.”

Moran queried, “Under your leadership, there would not be a cent going to Muslim Brotherhood or any Islamic extremist group – any extremist group at all. Is that what you promise?” 

“Qatar is a monarchy system. We appreciate that, and we’ll respect that as Qataris. We have a group from the royal family of Qatar, who believe exactly what we say – for the sake of the stability of the nation we are leading a movement now that leads to the change of what's happening in Qatar.”

While clarifying that much of the status quo would be respected, such as the presence of a U.S. military base in Doha, he vowed that under his party, support for Hamas and terrorism would stop.

“The only thing that would be changed is that there is no more Hamas in Doha. There is no more Muslim Brotherhood… no more extremists in Qatar. So our promise to the world is that we will be the best solution for the West and our money will be focused on developing our own people,” he said. 

“We were not going to spend our money anymore to support Hamas, or to support these terrorist organizations. Our movement is a peaceful movement. We are not terrorists,” he insisted.

Moran asked about the latest peace deal between Israel and Gaza mediated by Qatar, telling Al-Hail, “They painted themselves as these peacemakers that were there to help when they themselves funded the October 7 attacks. They harboured the leaders of Hamas. Yet they pretend to be the ones that care deeply about trying to create peace in a region where they are, on the other side, creating all the chaos.”

Al-Hail affirmed that her statements were factual and responded with the rhetorical question, “If there were no Hamas, would Qatar have any role in mediation?” Pointing out the power given to Qatar by the existence of terrorism and the need for negotiation, he claimed, “The Qatari regime existence is based on terrorism. If they are not existing, the Qatar regime is not there.”

Al-Hail outlined some of the ways the regime had oppressed dissidents, including those in opposition, even for minor threats such as political poetry, and complained about election interference. He said he himself had been tortured and put in prison, but managed to flee. 

“The way they operate is like a criminal organisation, just hunting and undermining people,” he said, explaining that though they initially hoped to push for reform through discussion, they have now changed their plans, believing such attempts will be futile. “There is no way for a compromised solution with these people."

“They are smart. They're spending their money to do one thing,” he said. “They are undermining every single opposition they face,” which included him.

“They are a threat to national security,” he warned, saying that he was concerned about President Trump’s interactions with the regime. “They have the money to manipulate people. Can you believe that they are buying Newsmax, they are buying some outlets that are pro-Trump. They are changing the map. They want legitimacy. So when they do something in the future, and I'm telling you, Hamas' story will not end. Qatar wants Hamas to be there. If Hamas will go, another front will be created, similar to Hamas.”

Moran inquired about the popular belief that Qatar was buying influence in the West. “Khalid, I want to ask you – you mention people, influencers being paid. There's just been a whole group of American conservative influencers who have gone to Qatar, who were hosted by Qatar, who are suddenly posting images on their social media. These, again, are conservative American influencers, talking about how amazing it is.”

Al-Hail confirmed that he had seen such videos and when asked specifically about Tucker Carlson, he responded, “Absolutely, yes… I am certainly sure that they have a handsome hand on that, because if there were no financial benefit for Tucker Carlson, there wouldn't be a big shift like you saw now.”

“Qatar recently shifted a lot of people from the right camp to their own camp, and in the near future, we will see what exactly they've been doing,” he said, adding, “I can't say much, but certain things are happening that it will be revealed soon to the world."

Al-Hail also spoke to Israel’s i24 News, saying that he was certain Qatar would never allow Hamas to disarm and described the recent mediation forum in Doha as “theater.”