A group of Middle Eastern affairs experts advised lawmakers to adopt legislation aimed at tempering the United States’ recent renewed support for Saudi Arabia at a House Foreign Affairs committee hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing focused on where the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s interests align in their fight against the spread of terrorism in the Middle East and how the United States should conduct itself with regard to the Saudi Arabia’s local SaudArabian influence. These questions have become pertinent following President Trump’s recent visit and Saudi Arabia’s opposition to the Kingdom of Qatar’s open support for the terrorist group Hamas.
“It’s deeply concerning that, in the face of mounting international pressure, Qatar has doubled down on its relationship with Hamas. Just a day ago, Qatar’s foreign minister called Hamas ‘a legitimate resistance movement,'” said committee chairman Ed Royce (R., Calif.).
Although its opposition to Qatar coincides with the United States’ current national security interests, the experts warned against regarding Saudi Arabia as a committed ally against terrorism.
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