Old 'We are all Hamas' tweet by Qatar's defense minister sparks controversy after Trump's Idaho air base deal

Qatar’s defense minister, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (L) and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (Image: Reuters)

Qatar’s defense minister, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has found himself in controversy after an old tweet resurfaced amid a new defense deal with the United States. On Friday, Al Thani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an agreement allowing a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility to be built at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

Following the signing, Secretary Hegseth said he was “proud that today we’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho.” He added, “The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15's and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability, it’s just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us.”

The deal will allow Qatari pilots to train alongside U.S. soldiers at the Idaho base. However, the move quickly drew backlash from several MAGA commentators and Trump allies, who pointed to Al Thani’s past social media post. Conservative activist Laura Loomer highlighted a tweet reportedly made by the Qatari minister that read, “We are all Hamas.”

Tagging the U.S. Defense Secretary, Loomer wrote on X, “@SecWar are you aware that the Qatari Minister of Defense Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani who is sitting next to you in this video tweeted ‘We are all HAMAS’?” She later added, “I AM NOT VOTING IN 2026!”

While the exact tweet is no longer visible on Al Thani’s account, reports by outlets such as the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) mentioned it earlier this year.

According to Jewish News Syndicate (JNS.org), in 2015 Al Thani also wrote, “The U.S. destroyed Afghanistan and failed [to achieve its goals], destroyed Iraq [but] failed and handed it over to Iran, [and now] it sits by as Syria is being destroyed by Iran and Russia.”

In another post from November 2021, he said, “Israel’s control of the U.S. is clear. We must plan how to influence the decision-makers in the U.S.”

The resurfacing of these remarks has fueled anger among right-wing circles in the U.S., adding further controversy to the Trump administration’s latest defense partnership with Qatar.