It remains to be seen whether the Israeli strike on the Qatari capital Doha last week was a success or failure. What is known for sure is that the attack stirred furious reactions not only in Doha but in almost all Gulf and Arab capitals.
Of course, it was Qatar that suffered a significant violation of its sovereignty by an aggressor and felt “deceived”, as official statements put it. Other regional players also stepped up their rhetoric in condemnation of Israel’s most recent strike and its wider actions in Gaza. Genocide, ethnic cleansing and other terms were officially reiterated in angry Gulf and Arab capitals. No such firm stance had been taken since the war on Gaza started two years ago.
Though Iran attacked Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar last June, it warned the Qataris in advance. Above all, the base is an American base and not a Qatari one, even if it is on Qatari soil – or at least that is how Iran sees it. The Israeli attack, by contrast, came as a total surprise to Qataris. Gulf countries that signed the so-called Abraham Accords normalisation agreements with Israel in 2020 are particularly annoyed, according to a veteran Western diplomat who worked in the region.
“Gulf Abrahamers might not be against killing Hamas leaders,” he said, “but they became wary of striking a Gulf capital that means Americans are giving the Israelis a free hand to attack whoever they want to.”
It was clear that Qatar didn’t anticipate the Israeli attack, so their very first reaction reflected more confusion than anger.
“They are genuinely shocked,” Andrew Hammond of Oxford University told Al- Ahram Weekly. “I think there was a general sense that Arab states have already let Israelis stomp over red lines.”
Another British political analyst said, “[The Qataris] were probably not sure of the international support they could initially drum up or of the mood in the US.”
It seems the Americans were quick to absorb the Qatari shock. Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani flew to the US to lead efforts at the UN Security Council issuing a statement condemning Israeli attacks, with even the US signing up to the international outcry that stopped short of considering the strike an act of aggression.
Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff capitalised on his Qatari connections to soothe Doha, especially after it officially branded Israel a terrorist state. Trump and Witkoff dined with the Qatari PM in what Trump called “a great dinner”. Later, the Qataris stressed how much they cherished their strategic relationship with US and would continue to work with Washington for “peace and stability in the region.”
The shock might not have dissipated completely, however. That is why Qatar needed Arab and Islamic leaders to come to Doha in a “solidarity meeting” denouncing Israeli aggression and issuing “strong statements” against it. But ultimately, Doha does seem to be changing its strategy, whether of connections with Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots including Hamas, or maintaining its way of trying to be a “liaison” between adversaries.
Apart from Egypt and Jordan, Qatar was one of the early countries in the region to establish relations with Israel. The two countries bordering occupied Palestine were previously at war with Israel, Qatar was not. But following the Oslo Agreement in the mid-1990s, an Israeli trade representative office opened in Doha. By the turn of the century Qatar had closed the office but it kept relations with Israel on an official, semi-official, and other levels.
Though Hamas delegations have previously been hosted in Egypt and Turkey, Israel opted to attack them in Qatar. Some analysts argue that the attack in Doha has more layers to it than just the assassination of Hamas leaders. A Turkish political analyst told the Weekly that “aggression on Qatar might be conveying a message to Turkey concerning the heated struggle between Tel Aviv and Ankara in Syria.” Qatar is a main supporter of the new Syrian regime that has Turkey’s backing.
That notion might be a bit far-fetched, yet it is telling of how the strike on Doha reverberated wider even than the Gulf and Arab world. Yet neither Qatar nor its Gulf neighbours are willing to give up on “American protection,” as many analysts conclude, even though they all now realise that Israeli ambitions are more important to the US than their security or even their sovereignty.
Some even think that Washington is not willing to be involved anymore. “Trump is clearly not focused and troubled by other things. US diplomacy has collapsed. It led to this,” as Hammond noted.
The Qatari PM repeated what Doha has always maintained in that it is hosting Hamas leadership on the request of the US and Israel. The Qatari PM repeated that in interviews with the American media this week. Back in 2003, the Canadian channel CBC asked the Embassy of Qatar about hosting Hamas leaders and got this answer:
“The Hamas office in Doha has been used from the beginning as a channel of communication and a means to bring peace to the region and that is in coordination with Western allies, particularly the United States.”
CBC concluded, “when the Hamas offices were opened in Qatar several years ago, it was done with the very explicit support of the US and Israel.”
Some within Israel itself see the Doha attack backfiring, not due to the security failure to kill Hamas leadership but because it might alienate “Arab friends of Israel”, as the media reports call them.
Anna Parsky wrote in the Hebrew daily Maariv this week: “In many Arab countries, the attack on Doha is seen not only as a military action but also as a destabilising move. Israel is portrayed as a threatening factor, sometimes even more so than Iran. The feeling in the Gulf is that Israeli deterrence is translating into a dangerous adventure – one that could lead to new connections between Qatar and Iran and even strengthen a regional coalition against [Israel].”
Some would see that an exaggerated fear, arguing that Qatar will stay its course of “appeasing everybody” in pursuing an elevated regional role. But there are clear signs that Israel is replacing Iran as the regional enemy to the Gulf and Arab countries.
“Iran is a known quantity and they have normalised relations [with Saudi Arabia]. But Israel is a rogue state that recognises no norms and has US blessing for this. So, a major rethink is starting”, Hammond said.
Doha might be content with American, international, Arab and Gulf support even if it is just verbal. Despite the fact that Israeli attacks might not be completely ruled out, the shock seems to be dissipating – for now.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 September, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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