Qatar's regime, alarmed at the blockbuster $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates, has drawn flak for its own lobbying attempts in the US to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
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"Given Qatar's track record of financing and helping terrorists – and given Qatar's extraordinary links with Iran – giving Qatar F-35s will undermine the advantage of the US, Israel and their regional allies," Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of the London-based Cornerstone Global Associates, told Israeli media.
Nuseibeh added that selling Qatar F-35s would be a strategic mistake, not least because it lacks the manpower to use them. He also queried why Qatar should want them.
According to an article in Foreign Lobby Report, US President Donald Trump's proposed $10 billion sale of 50 of the advanced fighters to the UAE – which despite some opposition narrowly made it through Congress Wednesday night – caused Qatar, through the offices of South Carolina-based Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, to aggressively lobby four key House Democrats in September and October.
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Qatar's standing, however, is somewhat patchy. Reports of appalling working conditions for foreign workers helping to build the country's stadia and infrastructure ahead of its slated hosting of the 2022 World Cup are commonplace.
In addition, German, Israeli and US news outlets reported on Qatar's alleged role in financing the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah, cited the Post. It has also been accused of helping to fund Islamic State terrorists.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
