In 1979 Egypt became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel – and it has been handsomely rewarded ever since. After Israel, Egypt was the second-largest recipient of American aid until both were overtaken by Iraq following the removal of Saddam Hussein.

American aid – totalling more than $50 billion over the years – has helped to keep the wretched Mubarak regime in power, but what do the American taxpayers get for their money?

A large part of the deal is that Egypt acts as a broker and facilitator for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But how effective is Egypt at that? Not very, according to the Amir of Qatar.

In a meeting with Senator John Kerry last February, the Amir suggested Egypt is more interested in maintaining its role as a peace broker (to keep the aid flowing) than in actually achieving peace.

The conversation is recorded in one of the Wikileaks documents released on Sunday:

The Amir said the Egyptians' goal is to stay in the game and maintain their relationship with the US, which is built around brokering Middle East peace, for as long as possible.

By way of example, the Emir accused Egypt of sabotaging a memorandum of understanding between Fatah and Hamas.

The message that Egypt wants to prolong the peace process for its own ends was repeated more forcefully the following day when Kerry met the Qatari prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (referred to in the document as "HBJ"):

According to HBJ, Egypt – the broker – has a vested interest in dragging out the talks for as long as possible. Egypt "has no end game; serving as broker of the talks is Egypt's only business interest with the U.S." 

HBJ likened the situation to a physician who has only one patient to treat in the hospital. If that is your only business, "the physician is going to keep the patient alive but in the hospital for as long as possible." 

HBJ emphasised that Qatar, on the other hand, is interested only in bringing about peace in the region – and as quickly as possible.

So Qatar was not only quietly badmouthing Egypt but angling for a greater role in the peace process for itself:

Asked his advice for President Obama, the Amir recommended the establishment of a small US-Qatar committee to discuss how to proceed. Qatar is close to Hamas, emphasised the Amir, because "we don't play in their internal politics." That does not mean we share their ideology or do not disagree with them. "I can remember many arguments with them (Hamas) on the 1967 border with Israel." 

The Amir noted that he had mediated with Hamas previously at the US request, namely when he urged Hamas at the previous Administration's request to participate in Palestinian elections.

Kerry appeared to share some of the Qatari Amir's frustrations about Egypt:

Senator Kerry observed that economic development in the West Bank is taking place, but not in Gaza. The Palestinian reconciliation that would make possible developmental assistance in Gaza has not happened. The Egyptians have not delivered, said Senator Kerry.

The Qatari prime minister, in his meeting with Kerry, argued that the pursuit of peace should include "Palestinians of all stripes" and that it is a mistake to work with just one partner, Fatah, and ignore Hamas. The biggest obstacle on the Palestinian side to an eventual agreement with Israel is the reconciliation of Hamas and Fatah, the prime minister told him:

We need to broker a quick reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah and move forward quickly on rebuilding Gaza. Senator Kerry asserted that HBJ was preaching to the converted ...

Kerry also asked the prime minister about prospects for a reconciliation between Hamas and Israel:

From HBJ's perspective, there are differences in style and approaches between the two wings of Hamas, but in principle both are fundamentally aligned. They can accept recognition of Israel, but have to calibrate the timing very carefully because Hamas knows that its supporters in the Palestinian territories are not ready for this change.

HBJ said Hamas leaders in Damascus and Gaza are aligned on wanting to open the border crossing at Rafah, for example, but differ on tactics in reaching this goal. The leaderships in Syria and Gaza consult each other, and no one leader in Hamas can take a decision alone, reported HBJ. 

Senator Kerry asked the prime minister to explain why Hamas does not seem "to move when we need Hamas to move": 

Simply put, answered HBJ, "Hamas does not trust Egypt and the Quartet enterprise." HBJ noted that since its inception the Quartet has been anti-Hamas and aligned with the interests of Abu Mazen, Egypt and Jordan. These partners of the Quartet, observed HBJ, are the very partners who have not delivered a Palestinian-Israeli agreement. 

Returning to his theme that "peace brokers" act in their own self-interest, HBJ observed that President Mubarak of Egypt is thinking about how his son can take his place and how to stave off the growing strength of the Muslim Brotherhood … The Egyptian "people blame America" now for their plight. 

The shift in mood on the ground is "mostly because of Mubarak and his close ties" to the United States. His only utility to the US is brokering peace between Palestinians and Israelis, so he has no interest in taking himself out of the one game he has, underscored HBJ. "Tell your friends (in Egypt) they must help themselves." 

… Continuing to illustrate how Egypt had not delivered for the U.S. on Palestinian issues, HBJ said Qatar was told in late 2008 that Israel and the U.S. needed the Egyptians to deal with the crisis in Gaza. Yet former Israeli PM Olmert later complained to Qatar that Egypt is a big country and not nimble; it could not move fast enough.