A presidential jet and a massive US airbase didn't shield Qatar from Israel's attack. America's Arab allies are taking n [View all]

Source: CNN

A presidential jet and a massive US airbase didn’t shield Qatar from Israel’s attack. America’s Arab allies are taking note

PUBLISHED Sep 10, 2025, 6:00 PM ET
Analysis by Paula Hancocks

Qatar would have been forgiven for thinking it was immune from Israeli attack.

The tiny Gulf state is a key US ally that welcomed President Donald Trump just four months ago; red carpets were laid, billion-dollar deals were done and a controversial presidential aircraft bequeathed.

As for its role as mediator to end the war in Gaza, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani personally met with Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya on Monday to push for the new US-led ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas’ response was expected at a follow-up meeting Tuesday evening; a couple of hours before that answer, Israeli jets struck a residential building in Doha, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security official.

The sense of shock and betrayal is palpable in the Qatari capital. The vocabulary being used by Qatar’s prime minister is strong, evocative and damning, a departure from his usual composed response to the incessant twists and turns of trying to end the 23-month war in Gaza.

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/10/middleeast/us-arab-allies-qatar-israel-attack-latam-intl

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Bombing a shop after the merchant pays protection. That's no way to run a racket.