U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hammad Al Thani in Doha to discuss mediation in the Gaza conflict after Israel's strike on the Capital Doha. Image credit: The Gulf Times
(The Post News) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday received Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, urging Qatar to keep mediating between Hamas and Israel despite an Israeli bombing on September 9 into the Gulf state.
The journey occurred as Israel launched a fresh assault on Gaza City, prolonging a conflict that had been ongoing for close to two years. Rubio referred to Qatar as “the only country in the world with the capacity to help mediate and bring an end to this conflict” due to it being uniquely placed as a highly regarded interlocutor of Hamas and Israel.
The Sept. 9 raid struck against Hamas commanders who had met in Doha, killing a number of operatives and a member of Qatar’s internal security corps. Israel declared the strike justified, but Hamas said its top leadership was untouched.
The Arab leaders condemned the attack as an interference in Qatari sovereignty and as a blatant move to derail peace talks. The airstrike was characterized as a provocation of neutrality by Qatar, where Hamas leaders have traditionally been hosted to enable indirect talks with Israel.
“This attack sabotaged the ceasefire talks and offended Qatar’s sovereignty,” the Amiri Diwan also quoted Emir Sheikh Tamim to have said.
U.S Seeks Balance Amid Rising Tensions
Rubio’s trip was intended to dispel apprehensions. He reassured the Qataris that Israel will never do it again, as well as reiterating Washington’s commitment to the security of the emirate. He also promised that President Donald Trump himself would personally call Sheikh Tamim to finalize a new U.S.-Qatar defense cooperation agreement.
Qatar also has Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Middle East. The Israeli assault had “accelerated” the need for renewed US guarantees of security, Qatari officials claimed.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, meanwhile, urged the United States to ask Israel to halt what he referred to as “alleged genocide” in Gaza.
Before taking his flight to Doha, Rubio told journalists in Jerusalem that the negotiations were at a critical moment.
“We don’t have months anymore, but we probably have days, perhaps a couple of weeks, to reach an agreement that stops the fighting and frees hostages,” he warned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “defeat Hamas wherever they are,” providing scant evidence of stopping the attack even after a ceasefire was requested by Trump. Critics charge Netanyahu with continuing the war for survival politically.
Arab League Pushback
Qatar had recently hosted an emergency meeting of Arab and Muslim leaders prior to the visit of Rubio. It denounced the Israeli strike and called for members to review ties with Tel Aviv. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned that the actions of Israel threatened existing diplomatic ties as well as the possible new normalization deals.
No coordinated action was undertaken, but the statement conveyed mounting Arab outrage at Israeli military action.
Rubio left Doha to join Trump on a state visit to London, during which the two presidents will sign a historic U.S.-UK economic agreement.
While in the Middle East, the fate of the ceasefire talks is pending. Whether Qatar will continue as mediator after its sovereignty was ignored will establish if the war in Gaza would continue ad infinitum, or never end.
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