In April 1986, Qatar executed a military operation marking the first of its kind between countries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Military forces were airdropped in Bahraini island al-Debel and they apprehended 29 employees and construction workers over there.

During the ruling of former King Fahd, Saudi Arabia intervened and its mediation led to the release of the Bahraini nationals after 17 days of apprehension.

Orchestrated by the former Prince Hamad bin Khalifa, who was the Crown Prince and Defense Minister back then, Qatar’s aggressive and barbaric operation was catastrophic to the Gulf. Even amid their toughest border disagreements, no Gulf state ever executed such a reckless behavior.

International Court of Justice ruled that Hawar islands remain under Bahrain’s jurisdiction, despite the forged documents presented at the court by Qatari authorities. Even after the ruling, and despite being its closest neighbor and many of Qatar’s families married into Bahraini ones, Doha continued to treat Bahrain with superiority.

Yet, what God granted Qatar of natural resources, was used immorally by the state sometimes and pathetically at other times. Majorly, its behavior became dominated by money and its value, but anyway, Qatar continued to believe that its behavior is a tool to prove its dominance and power.

The bitterness was apparent during the interview of Bahrain’s Minister of Interior Affairs Rashid bin Abdallah with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper when he narrated Qatar’s history of superiority or the Qatari aggression when it peaked during the crisis in February 2011; when Doha intervened and supported the extremist opposition seeking to topple the regime.

The Bahraini minister revealed that Doha disrupted the construction of a bridge between Bahrain and Qatar by not providing its share of the Gulf support program like its GCC counterparts.

In addition, Qatar prevented the export of gas to Manama, forcing Bahrain to import it from Russia, although Qatar exports its gas to different countries around the world, according to the minister.

Aside from the details of historical background that enabled Qatar to poorly treat its neighboring countries, the heinous behavior of the authorities reached the peak when they began promoting an ignorant idea, which is based on the concept that natural resources favors a state over another and that money owned by people is what makes a nation more respected than the other.

Bahrain was the country most slandered and defamed by Qatar, which was caught on by Bahrain Foreign Minister who said: “Thank God we are immensely more rich with wonderful creative people than materialistic wealth, and more thankful for not being nouveau riche.”

The sure thing is that Qatar’s superior behavior, precisely when dealing with Bahrain, was publicly unveiled as its isolation crisis unraveled. Doha confirmed a shallow concept that its resources and fortune permits it to carry on with its hostile policies towards its neighbors. Without any regard for the social and political concepts, Qatar is delusional that money can buy whatever it pleases.

If only Qatar knew that this is a concept that devalues the country and doesn’t promote it.

When was fortune a measure for people’s worth?

Any country that brags about its money and resources instead of its history and geography, is doomed to be wiped out.

Money can buy a lot of things, but not respect and dignity.

Qatar seems to forget that fortune doesn’t buy open land borders and all the fortune in the world won’t make Turkey or Iran Gulf neighbors.