Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman declined an invitation to visit Qatar, he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Landsman, who is Jewish, shared that he had sent a letter to Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's Ambassador to the United States, to formally reject the invitation extended to one of his staff members through the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Program.
In his letter, Landsman explained his decision, citing Qatar’s “gross mishandling of the hostage crisis in Gaza” and its failure to pressure Hamas to end the war. He went on to urge Qatar to make progress on key issues for a better future for both Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
"Normally, I encourage my staff to take advantage of these opportunities to learn more about our allies and identify further opportunities for collaboration. It is essential to my role as a member of congress. However, Qatar’s gross mishandling of the hostage crisis in Gaza and failure to sufficiently pressure Hamas into ending the war prevents me from allowing staff to visit your country," Landsman wrote.
He added, “This close relationship between the United States and Qatar makes it particularly disappointing to continuously observe your sheltering and support of terror organizations, including terrorists who have killed Americans. While I support our strategic partnership, there is bipartisan, bicameral Congressional interest in reevaluating it – an effort I am hesitant to support yet am open to considering if we are unable to make progress on key issues."
Instead of the planned visit to Qatar, Landsman expressed his willingness to discuss how to end the war, secure the release of hostages, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. “I should hope that we share a goal of creating a stable, peaceful Middle East,” he concluded.
Landsman's criticism of Mamdani
Earlier this month, Landsman condemned Zohran Mamdani for his anti-Israel positions following Mamdani’s victory in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani has previously endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and has also refused to condemn the pro-Palestinian slogan "globalize the intifada."
Landsman called Mamdani’s positions a "huge problem" in a statement to The Hill, as previously reported by The Jerusalem Post.
"It is happening in the context of a violent surge in antisemitism. Two Jews were murdered here in Washington, at an event that some of us would have gone to had we not been voting, and then in Boulder, where Jews were set on fire,” he said. “And now this. It’s definitely something that we’re worried about.”