In June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an economic and diplomatic blockade on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. As a condition for lifting the blockade, the Anti-Terror Quartet demanded the tiny oil-rich peninsula shut down Al Jazeera.
After the boycott, Saudi Arabia has become a target of a systematic smear campaign by Qatari media, slandering public figures and spreading negative propaganda against Saudi leadership. Tensions further peaked between the countries due to Qatar's support of extremists and terrorist groups.
Aljazeera publishes short-form videos and documentaries geared against Saudi Arabia that criticize a range of domestic and international topics. Analysts say the content is overtly pro-Qatar, including offering a Qatari-sympathetic view of the blockade, promoting a negative view of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman and lending support for the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.
YouTube, however, includes a disclaimer on Al Jazeera’s content that it is funded in part or whole by the Qatari government. And as part of a push for greater transparency on its platform, Facebook reportedly considered labeling the network as “state controlled.”
Qatar's legendary spending on media has also tried to play the human rights card as revenge against its neighboring countries, in particular, Saudi Arabia, pushing a bad image of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and raising doubts about Jamal Khashoggi’s death to make it appear that it is not an isolated incident .
According to reports, going after the Saudi Crown Prince has a political agenda beyond any human rights dispute. Qatar-funded media outlets are deeply involved in fueling the ongoing political campaign to discredit, smear, and ultimately oust the Crown Prince.
On the other hand, Qatari tribes who oppose Qatar’s policy of supporting terrorism and funding extremist organizations have cost some their citizenship. For example, Qatar revoked the citizenship of Sheikh Shafi bin Nasser bin Hammoud al-Shafi al-Hajeri from the Bani Hajer tribe after he condemned Doha’s policy when dealing with Gulf countries.
Arab capitals believe that Doha is hindering regional and international efforts to combat terrorism by providing media platforms (chiefly through Al Jazeera) and a safe haven to extremists. In Doha, there are legitimate concerns about the new US administration agreeing with this understanding of Qatar's ties with Islamists threatening US security and requiring Washington to pressure the Arab Gulf monarchy into changing its foreign policy.
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