Tucker Carlson to headline Qatar’s Doha Forum, triggering pro-Israel backlash

Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson is now listed as a featured speaker at the Doha Forum in Qatar this weekend, sharpening a growing fight inside the pro-Trump camp over Qatar’s ties to Hamas and its role as a global platform for Islamist movements.

Florida-based activist Laura Loomer, a close ally of United States President Donald Trump, flagged Carlson’s addition in a new post on X on Thursday, sharing what she said was a screenshot from the Doha Forum website that shows the former Fox News host on the official speakers list. Loomer has spent months accusing Carlson of being too soft on Qatar and Iran and of undermining support for Israel. 

The Doha Forum website confirms that Carlson and his media partner, Daily Caller co-founder Neil Patel, are participating in this year’s gathering, which runs December 6–7 in Doha under the theme “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress.” 

According to the event agenda and parallel reporting by US media outlet Mediaite, Carlson is scheduled to interview Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on stage, while Patel appears in his capacity as co-founder and CEO of the Tucker Carlson Network. 

They will share the program with an unusually eclectic roster that includes former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr., Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, senior European and Gulf officials, and high-profile journalists such as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and editors from outlets including The Guardian and Foreign Policy. 

Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson on the Tucker Carlson show, June 19, 2025. (credit: Screenshot/YouTube)

Loomer vs. Carlson, round two

Loomer’s new post is the latest escalation in a months-long feud with Carlson over his opposition to US military support for Israel and Ukraine and his willingness to engage closely with Qatar’s leadership.

In an October report, Newsweek noted that Loomer has repeatedly labeled Carlson “Tucker Qatarlson” and claimed he is being “bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood,” part of a broader campaign portraying him as aligned with Qatar at the expense of Israel. 

In June, Loomer circulated what she said were Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings, arguing that Qatar’s US embassy paid more than $200,000 for an earlier Carlson interview with the Qatari prime minister about the region and the war with Iran, and calling the program a “paid propaganda piece.” That claim, which conservative Jewish site 5 Towns Central reported on, has not been independently verified. 

Carlson’s camp has flatly rejected the accusations. In a statement cited by Mediaite, Patel said “allegations that Tucker Carlson or Tucker Carlson Network took money from any foreign country for an interview or for any other reason are categorically and definitively false and defamatory,” adding that neither Carlson nor his company “has ever taken a penny from Qatar or any foreign country.” 

Qatar, Hamas, and Israel

Loomer’s criticism taps into a wider concern among many Israelis and pro-Israel activists about Qatar’s long-standing ties with Hamas.

Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political office in Doha since 2012 and has transferred hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to the Gaza Strip, positioning itself as both the group’s key financial backer and a central mediator between Israel and Hamas. 

Israeli and Western officials have relied on Qatar to broker hostage and ceasefire deals, even as critics accuse Doha of legitimizing Hamas by providing it with political protection, funding, and a luxury base of operations. Analyses by Israeli think tanks like the Institute for National Security Studies describe Qatar’s approach as a “two-pronged” policy, combining harsh criticism of Israeli policies with a central mediating role and heavy humanitarian involvement in Gaza. 

Those tensions deepened in September, when Israel allegedly struck a Hamas leadership meeting in Doha, prompting Qatar to denounce the attack as “state terrorism” while insisting that hosting Hamas officials was part of internationally backed mediation efforts, including with Israel and the US. 

A global stage with a Gaza backdrop

Organizers say the Doha Forum is a neutral platform intended to promote dialogue on issues ranging from conflict resolution to economic inequality. This year’s theme, “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress,” is aimed at moving from rhetoric to concrete policies, with sessions on Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and broader North–South divides. 

For many in Israel and the Jewish world, however, the optics of prominent Western conservatives attending an event hosted by a state that has supported Hamas are deeply uncomfortable, especially in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the ongoing war in Gaza.

Mediaite reported that US Senator Ted Cruz, another strong supporter of Israel, mocked Carlson’s participation with the hashtag “#QatarFirst,” while Loomer again accused Qatar of bankrolling what she calls “pro-Islamist” narratives in the American right. 

As of Friday afternoon, neither Carlson nor the Doha Forum had publicly responded to Loomer’s latest post highlighting his role at the gathering.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-879334