Beware Qataris bearing a 747 gift

Donald Trump should be cautious about pushing too far, too fast in his embrace of former al-Qa’ida terrorist commander Ahmad al-Sharaa, who now rules Syria. Turkey’s hardline Islamist and anti-Israel leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is encouraging him to do so. So is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom the US President has a close relationship.

Mr Trump, on his Middle East trip, has lifted sanctions that targeted Syria’s deposed Assad regime. He also has said he is willing to meet Sharaa, even though the latter is still listed by the US as a terrorist who was deeply involved in the former Islamic State caliphate and has formed a new army for Syria that includes commanders who were Islamic State and foreign jihadists.

Israel, concerned about developments in Syria that could further threaten its own security, rightly has counselled Mr Trump to be cautious. Lending US backing to the new regime in Damascus amid apprehensions about the extent to which it is under jihadist control and potentially could be used by Mr Erdogan to destabilise Israel would undermine the Jewish state. Mr Trump, as a British Sky News commentator said, obviously finds the wealth and opulence of the Gulf states a “happy place”. As with the new regime in Damascus, however, he should be cautious about accepting the spectacular largesse of a $US400m ($626m) “palace in the sky” Boeing 747 jetliner being offered to him by the rulers of Qatar for use as a new US Air Force One.

Mr Trump is keen to accept the offer, despite apprehensions about potential security and political implications that could be involved in the leader of the world’s most powerful nation accepting such largesse from a regime in Doha that has been a facilitator, if not a full-blown supporter, of Hamas by allowing the Gazan terrorists free rein to operate out of Qatar. It is not only Trump critics who are worried about his eagerness to accept the Qatari offer: influential right-wing US podcaster and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who frequently travels with him, also has expressed dismay: “I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him. (But) we can’t accept a $US400m ‘gift’ from jihadists in suits.” Mr Trump should heed her alarm.