Well this sucks.

After spending $1.1 Trillion or so on "liberating" Iraq, our now Iran-captured "allies" are apparently going to host the terrorist group Hamas in the heart of Baghdad. 

"Hamas plans to retain some form of representation in Doha to oversee relations with Qatar, another source said."

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) June 24, 2024

Perhaps Biden should send another few billion to Iran to bribe them since Iran is reportedly going to take responsibility for defending Hamas in Iraq. 

Hamas plans to leave Qatar for Iraq, as pressure from Doha and the US mounts on the group's political leaders to show greater flexibility in talks for a Gaza ceasefire.

The Iraqi government approved the move last month, sources told The National on Monday.

Iran will be responsible for protecting Hamas’s leaders, offices and personnel in Baghdad, the sources added.

The move was discussed last month by Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh and representatives of the Iraqi and Iranian governments. Those talks were confirmed by a senior Iraqi MP and the leader of a political party with close ties to an Iran-backed armed group.

The potential move was also reviewed separately last month by Mr Haniyeh and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who spoke by telephone, the senior Iraqi MP said.

"There is no consensus among Iraqi political groups on Hamas’s move to Baghdad," the senior Iraqi MP told The National. "Some, especially the Kurds and some Sunnis, fear it will deepen differences with the United States. But despite the lack of consensus, the government’s decision to host Hamas will not be reversed."

The Iraqi MP and the political leader said Baghdad has welcomed the idea of Hamas maintaining a high-profile presence in Iraq.

What a clusterfark. 

I have been less critical of Qatar than many for its toleration of Hamas' presence in Qatar, based largely on a suspicion that it tolerated the presence of Hamas' leaders at least partly based on an understanding with the United States that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. After all, we are negotiating with the terrorist group to get the hostages back.

But as it became clear that Hamas wasn't going to budget and was negotiating in bad faith, Qatar has been pushing us quietly to let them kick the group out of their country, and it appears that this will be happening sometime in the near future. 

I don't feel so warm and fuzzy about Iraq's move, especially given the current government's ties to Iran. Qatar is one of our closest allies in the Middle East and hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region; Iraq, unfortunately, is not so cooperative. It has developed ever-closer ties to Iran over the years, and while the government is hardly as radical as the Iranians, they are likely friendlier to Hamas than most Arab countries. 

News of the potential move come weeks after the sources revealed the group’s leaders were under growing pressure from Qatar to accept US proposals for a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages and Palestinian detainees with Israel.

Hamas has rejected the proposals, repeating its demands that any agreement must provide for a permanent ceasefire in the enclave, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza and the unconditional return of Palestinians displaced by the conflict.

Hamas feels that they are winning the war at a strategic level, even as they have suffered huge tactical losses. War is political, and politically Hamas has gained enormous international support by dominating the information space and activating supporters around the world. 

The United States has been of invaluable support in this effort by extending the war. Generally speaking, the longer a war goes on, the less support it maintains domestically. And, given the propaganda advantages Hamas has taken advantage of--the media hates Netanyahu and has always been tougher on Israel than almost any other country--images from the war have made Israel look like the bad guy. 

The one good thing that might come out of this is that Israel will be much less motivated to play nice with Hamas' leadership. While Israel would naturally hesitate to offend Qatar by bombing or otherwise killing on Qatari soil, they likely would feel less hesitant to do so in Baghdad. 

Remember, Trump took out IRGC General Qassem Soleimani on Iraqi soil--at Baghdad's International Airport, no less. I doubt the Israelis would have more scruples about violating Iraq's territory in its efforts to take out Hamas leadership. 

We can hope, at least, that this is so. It would be very satisfying to see the billionaire backers of Hamas pay a significant price for their backing of terrorism.