Israeli strike in Qatar has strained US-Gulf relations

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Just a few months ago, rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar welcomed President Donald Trump into a camel parade and a gorgeous palace. Now those same leaders unite in anger after the Israeli strike Targeting Hamas leaders Doha is the capital of Qatar.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has halted Israel’s “criminal practices” by calling for “Arabic, Islamic and international responses to combat the attack.”

UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan flew to Qatar and accepted a scene that several years ago was an unimaginable scene in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Leading the country’s boycott It was strongly denied by Doha after accusing him of supporting terrorist groups.

Israeli attacks in Qatar violated “all international law and norms,” ​​Sheikh Mohammed said.

The strike sparked the worst fears of oil-rich Gulf leaders. That means the United States may abandon its decades-old commitment to protecting its invaders of the type of local invaders of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Those fears could undermine Trump’s priorities in the region by extending his signature Abraham agreement, which ended the war in Gaza and built relationships between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, and expanding the signature Abraham agreement at the counter. Chinese and Russia Impact. Netanyahu’s dream of a new normalized trading across the Gulf coast seems farther than ever.

As Israel blows the norm, it covers US support with iron

Trump appears to have registered the anger of the Gulf leaders. He has kept his distance from the strike and says he will not “advance Israeli or American goals” and promises that this will not be repeated.

But more and more Flouted international norms The war unleashed by Hamas’ October 7 attacks is a source of concern in the Gulf.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, called the strike an act of “state terrorism” and accused Netanyahu of “wild barrage.”

He also questioned the future of Qatar’s mediation efforts and said there was no “valid” about the current consultations after the strike. Israel Targeted Hamas leaders They were weighing the US ceasefire proposal, and killed at least five low-ranking members and members of Qatari security forces.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu threatens to attack again if Qatar continues to host Hamas in its role as a local mediator.

“I will tell Qatar and all countries with terrorists that you will either expel them or you will bring them to justice,” Netanyahu said Wednesday. “If you don’t, you’ll do that.”

These comments were condemned by the UAE’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Attacks on members of the Gulf Cooperation Council – a bloc of six countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – “constituently constitute an attack on the collective Gulf security framework,” the ministry said in a statement.

Signs of frustration from the UAE

The UAE was the driving force behind it. 2020 Abraham Accord.

Other Arab countries have led them to normalize relations with Israel in a Trump-brokered agreement that was widely seen as the greatest foreign policy achievement of his first term. Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed his hopes to expand these deals even after the attacks in Qatar this week.

The Israeli-UAE agreement has been held over a two-year regional war, but could be at risk if Israel stays in its current trajectory.

Last week, the UAE warned Israel about moves to annex the occupied West Bank It’ll be a “red line” Without specifying which action is required.

The Israeli decision to suspend the annexation plan five years ago was called for as a concession to the UAE in consultations leading up to the agreement. Currently Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partner is pushing it after serving as chairman A dramatic expansion of Jewish settlements.

Trump, in his first term, Unprecedented support was loaned out On Israel’s claims against territory seized in the war. It is unclear whether he will apply the brakes this time.

Saudi Arabia drifts further apart

Trump and Netanyahu hope to reach a similar normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia, a major power and custodian in the region of two sacred places of Islam. The Biden administration seemed to be that way On the verge of intermediary of such transactions The attack was made on the eve of Hamas on October 7th, 2023.

It has looked more and more unlikely ever since.

Saudi Arabia says it will normalize relations with Israel only if it paved the way for an independent Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel’s territory seized in the 1967 Middle East War. The current government of Israel and most of its political class have stubbornly opposed the Palestinian state before the war, and now say they will reward Hamas.

The Saudi Arabian crown prince was stuck at his demands, strengthening his rhetoric and at one point last year he accused Israel of “genocide.” Prince Mohammed also has We pursued a warm relationship with IranIsrael’s major nemesis has long seen Saudi Arabia as a regional threat.

All three Gulf countries have strong incentives to stick to epic bargains with the United States when they agreed to hold American bases after the Gulf War and stabilize the energy market in exchange for military protection. This has been tense in Qatar after the June attack by Iran, targeting military bases hosting US troops.

However, Israel’s strikes are widely viewed as an even greater violation of those understandings. It can make future transactions difficult to close.

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