As the Gaza ceasefire sprung leaks upon the sunken shoals of Gaza terrorists, speakers at Family Research Council’s 2025 Pray Vote Stand Summit sounded the alarm over Qatar’s malign influence in both the Gaza peace process and around the world. Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann argued that lasting peace in the Middle East will come not through Qatari machinations to advance its Islamist agenda, but when Jesus Christ establishes his own kingdom on earth.

“Qatar is the number one funder of terrorism in the world,” Bachmann began. “Qatar is only 330,000 people” — plus “two million slaves that work for them,” foreign workers whose passports are confiscated — but “they control 14% of the natural gas in the world,” making them some of “the richest people in the world.”

The elites who control this vast wealth are “all about advancing, conquering the world for Islam,” she continued. “They’re very committed. They put their money where their mouth is. They’re the chief propagandist in the world.” The international Arabic news platform Al Jazeera is funded by Qatar and advances their Islamist agenda, which is why readers will scarcely hear a kind word about Israel in its reporting.

“Remember, Islam is a theocratic, geopolitical ideology,” offered Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, which hosted the summit. “Christianity is not a political religion. … Islam has a completely inverted view, and they have a geopolitical, theocratic government in mind.”

Knowing this background data about Qatar made Bachmann “very concerned” about the influential role the country played in the Gaza negotiations. Her consternation deepened when it became known that America’s negotiating team would be led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, “because of the historical nature of the relationships” both men had with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“You normally don’t see something like this, but there’s been a lot of private deals done — financial deals — with people who are involved in [conducting] foreign policy,” she noted. “This is very unusual. … You have Qatar’s junior business partners conducting American foreign policy with them, especially regarding Israel … somebody who has financial arrangements on the line.”

Bachmann believed her fears were well-founded when the eventual 20-point peace plan smiled upon the liberal pipe dream of a two-state solution, effectively denying Israel’s right to their own land. “Since 1967, Israel [has] owned Gaza, and they’ve owned Judea, Samaria. So, under international law, this is their land,” she argued. “The Trump plan is saying, ‘Yeah, Israel, you’ve owned it since ‘67, but Gaza — we’re going to sever that off, and we’re going to give it to Qatar, and we’re going to give it to Saudi Arabia, and we’re going to give it to all these wealthy Arabs. You paid the blood and treasure, but we’re giving it to them.’”

“In what universe,” Bachmann asked, is such a deal just or sensible? “The Arab mind needs to know there’s a clear winner, clear loser — and, by the way, the loser loses land. That’s how the Arab mind works,” she continued. “Just about as Israel is reaching the goal post, in come our envoys … and say, ‘Wait! Stop it. You can’t win. Sorry, we’re not going to let you win. Now we’re going to have a ceasefire.’”

“In the negotiation, [America’s envoys told] Israel, ‘You’re not getting control over the land. … If the Arabs do everything right, there’s a hint they might get their own state out of this deal: Judea, Samaria, and maybe Gaza,’” Bachmann added. “Absolute barbarians, murdering, raping barbarians — they’re going to get rewarded, and Israel’s going to get, what, 20 emaciated people back … after they’ve lost the lives of 2,500 people in two years.”

“We, the United States, we were the bad guys for the last two years,” Bachmann recalled. “Under the Biden administration, America handcuffed Israel and told them, ‘You’re not allowed to win.’ … And we denied them ammunition, we denied them weapons, we made Israel’s life miserable.”

“Then when President Trump came in, it took a long time to ramp up to get them the weapons and ammunition,” she added, and Israel had advanced to the cusp of victory. “Then, weirdly, out of nowhere, Jared Kushner re-enters the scene. What had he been doing? He struck a $2.5 billion deal with the Saudis and the Qataris [since] President Trump left office the first time.” The resulting deal, Bachmann warned, was dangerously favorable to Arab interests over Israel’s.

“I agree with Michele’s analysis of the 20-point plan,” declared FRC President Tony Perkins. “In fact, we’ve communicated our concerns to the White House. Any effort that would take an official position that would divide the land puts America in a very dangerous place.”

Perkins and Bachmann aim not to bash the Trump administration, but rather to strengthen its arms as it defends the interests of Israel, the world’s only Jewish-majority nation and the Middle East’s only democratically governed one. They seek to warn the Trump administration against the malign influence of Qatari oil money, which has bought itself considerable clout in Washington.

“You wonder why American students, Christians, conservatives have turned against Israel?” asked Bachmann. “It’s because, for the last two years — it’s documented — Qatar has spent over $200 billion in America, targeting your kids and targeting you. They spent it on American newsrooms, on influencers, and in academic institutions. So, all those riots at Columbia University — paid for courtesy of Qatar.”

“Why is [it] American policy that we’re going to allow that?” Bachmann wondered. “Why is it that two weeks ago President Trump announced an executive order that we, the United States, are going to give a NATO type guarantee to Qatar? Why are we rewarding the chief funder of terrorism, the nation that has housed and hosted Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical terrorist organization? Why are we rewarding them, when their goal is — and they’ve been — propagandizing our students against Israel?”

Bachmann urged believers to counter Qatar’s Islamist propaganda with prayer. She recalled her time in Congress on the House Permanent Select Committee during the Obama administration, when she would receive classified briefings on world events she could not share with others. “The Holy Spirit would give me wisdom about what I was hearing. A lot of it was lies … and I knew the Holy Spirit would show me different lies,” she said. “You have the Holy Spirit living within you. You know the word of God. You pick up the newspaper, you can have discernment to know what’s going on, how to pray, and what to do.”

Already, Israel has seen “the miraculous hand of Almighty God, win and defeat Hezbollah, defeat Iran, defeat in Yemen, defeat every enemy in [its] seven-front war,” Bachmann declared. “This is the greatest moment now for us as believers, as the church, to pray for the administration, to pray for Israel, to get it right according to God’s word.” In fact, believers are commanded to pray for public officials “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:2).

Real Life Network’s Daniel Cohen concurred with Bachmann’s prescription, urging believers to pray boldly in faith. “As we pray, we’re petitioning the Lord, the God of the universe,” he declared. “His plans can’t be stopped. His plans will be accomplished.” The word that goes forth from his mouth “shall not return to me empty,” says the Lord, “but it shall accomplish that which I purpose” (Isaiah 55:11). This God is sovereign even over the hearts of kings, added Bachmann, citing Proverbs 22:1.

For Tony Perkins, the quintessential encouragement comes from Isaiah 6. “When Uzziah died and Isaiah was discouraged and depressed, he ‘saw the Lord … high and lifted up’” (Isaiah 6:1), said Perkins. “That’s when Isaiah came to an understanding that real authority and power was above, not here on the earth. Even though Uzziah was a great king, a reformer, true power is from above.”

A Persian Gulf petrostate may buy a ceasefire, a politician, or a propaganda machine. But their power and influence is limited to merely human terms. The king of the universe is sovereign over all wealth, all lands, all wars and ceasefires, and he will establish a kingdom that will displace and defeat all others.

Petrostates may plot and propagandize, but the Prince of Peace will appear in power. To that end, let his people pray.