Abdullah Hayek
On September 9, 2025, explosions ripped through Doha in an unprecedented Israeli strike that aimed to kill Hamas leaders sheltering in Qatar. For decades, Israel has pursued its enemies abroad, from Amman to Dubai to Tehran. But bombing the capital of a U.S. major non-NATO ally is a reckless escalation that undermines American interests, destabilizes the Middle East, and crosses a line that Washington cannot allow to be blurred.
Qatar is not Gaza, Lebanon, or even Iran. It is home to Al-Udeid Air Base, where 10,000 U.S. troops project American power across the region. It is a country that just signed more than $1.2 trillion in commercial and defense deals with Washington. To see its sovereignty shredded by an ostensible U.S. partner is an outrage, unnecessary and unwarranted, that should provoke a sharp course correction in U.S. policy toward Israel.
The scale of the diplomatic rupture was immediate. Qatar condemned the strike as “a cowardly Israeli attack” and “a blatant violation of all international laws and norms,” warning it endangered Qatari civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unapologetic. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he declared, emphasizing the operation was wholly “independent.”
According to reports, Washington received only a few minutes’ notice before missiles slammed into Doha. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the attack “a flagrant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity” and urged parties to seek a ceasefire, not destroy it. The symbolism was stark: Israel carried out an airstrike in the capital of a U.S.-designated ally, as if to prove it can act wherever it pleases regardless of American interests or international law.
That arrogance has real consequences. The Hamas delegation targeted in Doha was not plotting attacks in secret. Al Jazeera reported that the officials were in Qatar to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal intended to halt nearly two years of war in Gaza. Targeting them mid-negotiation sent a clear message: Israel prioritizes retribution over diplomacy.
The results were predictable. The fragile talks collapsed, hostage negotiations were frozen, and the prospect of ending a conflict that has already killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and left Gaza in ruins evaporated overnight.
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