In defense of Qatar:
Witkoff was also given the opportunity to address criticism over his warm relations with Qatar, which began before he entered the Trump administration when he was a real estate investor.

Qatar has been accused of supporting Hamas and other extremist factions in the region.
Doha has countered that its hosting of Hamas officials was at the request of Israel and the US.

Jerusalem and Washington also urged the Gulf kingdom to funnel large amounts of aid to Gaza, which has come under renewed scrutiny since October 7 with critics arguing that it allowed Hamas to amass its military arsenal.

“The Qataris… are criticized for not being well motivated. It’s preposterous.
They are well motivated,” Witkoff said, using the same term he used to characterize Israel’s leadership.

He dismissed as “preposterous” the criticism that the Qataris operate as agents of Iran.