It’s harsh competition, but Qatar manages to outdo Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt in being the new #1 Arab puppet government. This following headline says it all:

“After Israel objects, Qatar gives up plan for Gaza shipment”

Israel is working to undermine already submissive governments from aiding their brethren in Gaza. The Palestinians of Gaza have been suffering from a siege enforced by Israel and supported by the U.S. and Europe.

Qatar was funding a delegation preparing via a ship to send aid - $2 million of cancer medication - to the Palestinians of Gaza. After Israel protested though, the government of Qatar backed away from the delegation for fear of offending its master.

The Qatar would have been the first Arab group to challenge the blockade of Gaza. Israel forced the Qatar government to send the delegation to Israel, and any additional Gaza-aid via Israel as well.

“The message was delivered, not only to them, but to anybody else that wanted to transfer aid to Gaza, that there is a mechanism on how to do it. We will not change our policy, which gives us the option on how to do it, while not allowing unauthorized boats to reach Gaza,” said Andy David, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Qatar did seek permission from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to send aid, the government quickly rejected permission.

“We have no intention of setting up a shipping line to Gaza. Israel’s policy is to maintain the siege placed on Hamas government in Gaza, and there is no reason to give in to provocations,” said an unidentified official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office.

Israel says that it will transport any aid, but Israel only allows for an extremely minimal amount of aid.

It is not surprising that Qatar would back down to Israel, the nation established trade relations with Israel in 1996 and Israel manages a trade office in the capital Doha. Tzipi Livni attended a democracy forum in the country in 2007 and the Israel head of state, President Shimon Peres, visited Qatar. Egypt and Jordan needed peace with Israel to reclaim land for the former and pacify the border for the latter.

But Qatar was never at war with Israel and does not share any border, their reaching to Israel was entirely of their own doing. Shamefully given that Qatar seeks to enrich Israeli firms through trade while the Palestinians suffer 70% unemployment in Gaza and continue to death from Israeli bombs and the blockade. This is the moral state of Arab governments.