Israel’s Message in Doha: No Terrorist is Beyond Reach

Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, suggested that Trump’s response could have been largely performative, criticizing Israel to appease Qatar publicly while backing it behind the scenes, similar to how several Gulf states denounce Jerusalem outwardly yet maintain quiet cooperation.

“It is certainly clear that [Trump] considers Hamas leaders fair game for Israel and would not mourn their deaths if the strike were to prove successful. At the same time, however, he has a strong preference for ‘peace’ and a clear affinity for the Gulf monarchies, so he might begrudge Israel seemingly expanding the war there,” Misztal told JNS.

He added that the fallout depends largely on how Qatar responds. “If it just vents publicly about the strike but does nothing more, or better yet, learns its lesson and expels Hamas, it is likely to get verbal support from Trump, and the relationship continues. If, however, [Doha] pushes, for example, for a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel, it could quickly find the limits of U.S. support,” he said.

The broader danger, Misztal warned, is not just U.S.-Qatar tensions but regional realignment. “The biggest strategic fallout of the strike might come not from any tensions between Washington and either Doha or Jerusalem, but from its effect on other Gulf states,” he said.

“The UAE and Saudi [Arabia] have been clear-eyed and concerned about Qatar’s support for terrorist groups and ties to Iran. But with MBZ [UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan] and MBS [Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman] now both going to Doha, the potential for the three monarchies to band together suddenly and possibly begin hedging against the United States … would be a loss for both Washington and Jerusalem.”

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“The easiest way for a strike inside Qatar to not happen again is for Doha to expel Hamas. The United States should push Qatar to do exactly that,” said Misztal.