Mike Pompeo to i24NEWS: "Qatar has capacity to be a force for good, but will they deliver?"

Former US Secretary of State and CIA director, Mike Pompeo says in a special interview to i24NEWS that "Qatar has the capacity to be a force for good. The question is, will they deliver on that". 

In response to a question regarding the gulf country role in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the country's close connection to Washington, despite the face it hosted many of Hamas leaders, Pompeo replied: "Qatar has the capacity to be a force for good. The question is, will they deliver on that? And I think about that for every nation that decides that they want to join, whether it's the International Stabilization Force or become part of the Abraham Accords. It's one thing to write missives, put down letters, hold press conferences. It's another to act in a manner that is consistent with tamping down extremism wherever one finds it. And to host terrorists in your country presents risks to your own country. We saw that with the strike that the Israelis took in Doha.

But more than that, it undermines your own national capacity to deliver for your own people." 

Pompeo added: "We need to be very careful, not just about any one nation, but about every country that says one thing and then acts in a way that's inconsistent with that. We should be looking at actions, not words, deeds, not promises. And when we do that, we can figure out exactly who and how will conduct the security operations that will be necessary in Gaza for years and years to come."

Pompeo, together with Former Head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen, will be receiving United Hatzalah's Protectors of Israel Award at the Miami Gala later this week.

THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MR. POMPEO WILL BE BROADCAST TOMORROW (MONDAY), ON THE RUNDOWN, 20:00 ISRAELI TIME // 1PM EST.