Epstein said Qatar had to 'sing and dance' for Israel like Modi, to escape blockade
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein told a Qatari businessman that Doha needed to "sing and dance" for Israel to get on US President Donald Trump’s good side during a blockade of the small Gulf state.
The email, part of the US Justice Department's tranche of documents released over the weekend, shows Epstein inserting himself into a rift that erupted in the Gulf between Qatar on one side and the UAE and Saudi Arabia on the other.
Epstein told a man identified as “Jabor Y” that Qatar could apparently come in from the cold if it was able to normalise ties with Israel.
“If the people would allow your country to recognize israel. ,could be interesting to discuss. If not maybe consider putting 1 billion into a fund to benefit the victims of terrorist acts. asking the other gcc memebers to match it,” Epstein wrote on 9 July 2017.
In other emails, Jabor Y appears under the name Jabor Yousef Jassim Al Thani. He is a Qatari businessman and member of the royal family. In a 2016 document, he appears to ask for permission for Epstein’s plane to land in Doha.
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The UAE and Saudi Arabia led Arab states in severing diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the gas-rich monarchy in June 2017. Trump backed the blockade.
Epstein suggested that Qatar’s problems could go away if it stopped “kicking and arguing” and forged closer ties to Israel. He said Qatar needed to follow India's example, which has emerged as a close Israeli partner.
"The Indian Prime minisiter modi took advice. and danced and sang in israel for the benefit of the US president. they had met a few weeks ago.. IT WORKED.!" Epstein wrote to Jabar.
Turkey stops invasion of Qatar?
Epstein had ties to intelligence networks and arms dealers going back to the 1980s. He was particularly close to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Epstein in 2019 mysteriously died in his New York City jail cell, which was deemed a suicide, but he was following the blockade of Qatar closely and engaging in track II diplomacy with Barak right up until his death.
On 30 June 2017, he suggested that an invasion of Qatar was prevented because the Turkish military had deployed in force to the Gulf state.
“I think with the Turks inside, the military option is no longer viable,” Epstein wrote to a man named Anas al-Rasheed, who appears to be a Kuwaiti professor who also served as a cabinet minister.
Turkey established its first military base in Qatar in 2015, but expanded its presence massively in the summer of 2017 in defiance of the UAE and Saudi-led blockade.
By July 2017, Epstein was pitching himself as a mediator who could fix Qatar’s problems.
"I am keeping our primary goal in mind. in that regard I know that HBJ would like to sit with MBS in a face to face. . IF your guy can organize, i think it would be a good step," Epstein wrote to Rasheed on 4 July. MBS is the acronym for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
HBJ is the acronym for Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, who served as prime minister in the Gulf state from 2007 to 2013. Epstein claimed at the time that the leader was the only “adult” in the Gulf state.
While it’s not clear if the meeting between the former Qatari prime minister and Saudi crown prince took place, Epstein successfully brokered a meeting between Barak and his Qatari counterpart.
Epstein brokered Ehud Barak and Qatar meeting
"just left hbj. He would like to sit with you." Epstein wrote to Barak on 10 November 2018.
The email exchange offers a rare glimpse into Epstein arranging what is effectively unofficial diplomacy between former senior Israeli and Qatari officials.
Barak was head of Israeli military intelligence in the 1980s before entering politics. He was also the minister of defence from 2007 to 2013.
The meeting between the two former officials was facilitated on the Qatari side by Jabor Al Thani. The meeting took place in December 2018 at One Hyde Park, an ultra-posh apartment complex in London.
“Please convey my thanks to HH HBJ for finding the time to m=et with me. I've enjoyed very much our exchange and=conversation. I hope to have more opportunities in the future,” Barak wrote in an email to Jabor after the meeting, which cc’d Epstein.
The two men appeared to discuss a "security company", according to a follow-up email by Jabor addressed to Barak.
"It was my great pleasure to meet you and arrange for the mee=ing. HE Sheikh Ham=d was extremely pleased to meet you again after a long time. He thoroughly e=joyed the conversation and discussions and look forward to future meetings," Jabor wrote.
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