Qatar: Seeking new partners after U.S. betrayal

Pars Today – An American news website reported on Thursday that the Prime Minister of Qatar has informed the White House that, following what it described as a U.S. betrayal in Israel’s attack on Doha, Qatar is likely to reconsider its security cooperation with Washington and seek alternative partners.

According to Pars Today, the American news website Axios reported that, since Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly did not consult with U.S. President Donald Trump or any of his senior advisors before launching the missile attack on Doha, the incident could not only have consequences for Israel but also potentially undermine the credibility of the United States on the international stage.

Axios added that Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, informed the White House that following this “betrayal,” his country would review its security cooperation with Washington.

Furthermore, as the report notes, Al Thani stated in an interview with CNN that Gulf leaders are currently discussing how to respond to the situation.

According to the report, since Iran attacked the U.S. Al-Udeid military base in Qatar following America’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war, and shortly thereafter Israel targeted the site of Hamas delegation negotiations in Doha, Al Thani warned Steve Witkoff, the U.S. White House envoy, that Qatar would conduct a thorough reassessment of its security cooperation with the United States and “might seek other partners” to ensure its security if necessary.

In this context, two informed sources told Axios that Trump asked Netanyahu to guarantee that Israel would not attack Qatar again. Despite Doha’s warnings to Washington, Axios reports that Netanyahu has not publicly apologized for this act and, despite Trump’s request, even indicated that another attack might be possible.

Qatar is the seventh country that Israel has bombed since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023.

Axios further reported that U.S. officials stated Trump had two phone calls with Netanyahu on Tuesday regarding the attack on Qatar. In the first call, the U.S. president expressed disappointment at Israel’s decision and questioned what long-term benefit this action was intended to achieve.

A former U.S. official also stated that the Prime Minister of Qatar told U.S. authorities that he considers what happened a betrayal by both Tel Aviv and Washington.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu, in a video released on Wednesday justifying the attack, said that if Hamas leaders remain in Qatar, he would not hesitate to carry out a second strike. He also claimed that Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar was comparable to the U.S. pursuit of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan after September 11.

However, Al Thani, in an interview with CNN, responded to Israel, stating that Netanyahu must be held accountable “for violating international law,” calling the attack on Qatar “state terrorism.” The Qatari Prime Minister added that Doha is discussing its response with regional partners, warning that “the entire Persian Gulf region is at risk.”