Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
The unprovoked attack on Qatar, a major U.S. ally, by Israel on September 9 has shaken the relationship between Qatar and the U.S., and may have a similar effect on other Arab countries. The trust is broken.
At first, President Donald Trump claimed it was a surprise attack, and he had no prior warning from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, later the White House spun a story that they had notified Qatar before the attack. In response, Qatari officials have denied that claim, saying the call they got was during the attack, not before.
Hamas was the target, the terrorist organization which caused the current war on Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, but an innocent Qatari security officer was killed by the Israeli attack on a residential neighborhood in Doha.
In May, Qatar rolled out the red carpet for Trump, while signing an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion. The economic deals totaled more than $243.5 billion, and included the sale of Boeing aircraft and GE Aerospace engines to Qatar Airways. The US arms deal to Qatar saw General Atomics securing a nearly $2 billion agreement for Qatar's acquisition of the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft system.
The U.S. has over $26 billion in active government-to-government cases with Qatar under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system, making Qatar the second-largest FMS partner in the world.
In 2024, the U.S. government sent Israel at least $17.9 billion in military financing to continue killing the Palestinian people. The American government sends Israel the money, and they in turn use some of the money to buy U.S. made weapons, and some of the money goes to making their own weapons, which they sell for profit to other countries. Israel is the largest beneficiary of American aid, while being a competitor to American weapons manufacturers. The American tax-payers are the ultimate source of the weapons used in Israel that has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ chief negotiator, on Monday to push for the new deal to end the war promoted by Trump. Hamas was expected to respond on Tuesday, but Israel bombed the meeting place in Doha before the meeting could be held.
Qatari citizens were shocked, and felt betrayed by the U.S., who they thought was their protector.
Al Thani told CNN that the attack was “state terror” and warned the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be “brought to justice,” accusing him of breaking “every international law.”
According to Richard Jackson and Mandy Turner in 2023, defining Israel’s actions in Gaza as ‘state terrorism’ could possibly save Palestinian lives. Israel has been accused of being a State Sponsor of Terrorism due to the war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been carried out, and are now continuing in Gaza on a daily basis. Because Israel has been regarded as a Western ally, the label has not been used widely. But, with the accusation and documented proof of carrying out Genocide in Gaza, the label is beginning to affix itself like glue to the State of Israel.
The countries of the Arab Gulf have partnered with the U.S. for decades, both politically and financially. They may be re-thinking their dependence on U.S. security guarantees which are part of every arms deal signed. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE pledged $3 trillion in deals during Trump’s May visit.
Qatar invested over $1 billion to construct the Al Udeid airfield during the 1990s, which is the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, situated west of Doha, Qatar. It is home to over 11,000 coalition and American service men, and can house around 100 aircraft and drones.
According to the U.S., Qatar has contributed more than $8 billion in developing Al Udeid Air Base, which the headquarters of U.S. Central Command Forward, U.S. Air Force Central Command Forward, and U.S. Special Operations Command Central Command Forward, as well as Combined Joint Interagency Task Force – Syria, U.S. Central Command’s Combined Air Operations Center, and the U.S. Air Force’s 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.
In July, the Trump administration announced preparations began to refit a Qatari jumbo jet to be used as the new Air Force One. The $400 million Boeing aircraft was donated by Qatar as an "unconditional" gift, which Trump gladly accepted.
The extremist government of Netanyahu does not want to make a deal with Hamas. Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich and Ithmar Ben Gvir are intent on wiping out Gaza, thus exterminating Hamas. This policy runs counter to both Trump, who wants the war to end, and the Israeli hostage families, who want their loved ones released.
Israel used assassinations and military force to derail negotiations between the US and Iran, with a massive attack on Iran just hours before a scheduled meeting between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian negotiator.
Some political analysts view the Israeli attack on Doha as a message to Qatar that they will not tolerate the Muslim Brotherhood ideology. Hamas has followed the Muslim Brotherhood ideology, which is not far removed from the ideology of Al Qaeda and ISIS. The Saudis term this ideology as “Political Islam.”
Countries which ban the Muslim Brotherhood are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Russia and Syria under the former Assad regime.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and close ally of Trump, has brought several bills to Congress to have the Muslim Brotherhood banned in the U.S., but was never successful in passing the ban due to votes by both Republicans and Democrats who stood in support of the extremist global organization.
However, it was the President Obama administration which elevated the U.S. branch of the Muslim Brotherhood to its highest political position, while using the group in their capacity to execute the U.S. policies in the “Arab Spring” regime-change projects in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria. In both Tunisia and Egypt, the Obama-sponsored changes were eventually overthrown, and the Muslim Brotherhood eliminated from leadership positions. In the case of Syria, the current government post-Assad is led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former leader of Jibhat al-Nusra, who has since renounced his terrorist past.
During the 14-year civil war in Syria to oust Assad, armed fighters from Jibhat al-Nusra were taken to Israeli military hospitals, where Netanyahu was photographed visiting the wounded at their bedsides.
This illustrates the hypocrisy of Netanyahu, who supported the extremist fighters in Syria, but is currently occupying and bombing Syria after Assad fled.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.