Analysts said that Egyptians may never see Qatar as an ally as it once were in the earlier years. Doha’s image had become somewhat a villain to the Interim Government ruling in Egypt and damage control had failed to establish a positive image for the country.
However, Qatar had loaned $8 billion in foreign aid to Egypt after Mohammed Morsi was signed as the new president. However, this was perceived by many opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi’s political party, as political support. Qatar’s partnership with the Muslim Brotherhood is notorious in Egypt, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.
The demonstrations against Qatar, with many Egyptians burning Qatari flags outside its Egyptian embassy in Cairo, expressed public disapproval for its perceived interference in Egyptian political affairs.
Experts said that Morsi’s ouster was a blow to the efforts of Qatar. The Interim Government, declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, had blown Qatar’s reputation in Egypt further down out of the game. However, during the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Qatar’s Emir Al-Thani, refrained from objecting against the act and instead said that it respects the decision of the Egyptian people.
In the past, Egypt had also accused Qatar of using the al-Jazeera network to bring down the Egyptian Mubarak regime in 2011. The al-Jazeera network also carried a pro-Muslim Brotherhood stance, which further made sure that Qatar’s influence to Egypt is unlikely to return.