{"id":2678,"date":"2025-09-11T00:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T00:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/analysis-will-attack-in-qatar-lead-to-international-isolation-of-israel\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T00:36:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T00:36:45","slug":"analysis-will-attack-in-qatar-lead-to-international-isolation-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/analysis-will-attack-in-qatar-lead-to-international-isolation-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Will attack in Qatar lead to international isolation of Israel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>World leaders were quick to criticise Israel for its attack in Qatar on Tuesday, targeting Hamas <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/why-does-qatar-host-hamass-political-office\">political leaders<\/a> discussing a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/8\/will-trumps-new-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-end-israels-genocide\">ceasefire in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>United States President Donald Trump, typically one of Israel\u2019s most vocal supporters, said he was \u201cvery unhappy about every aspect\u201d of the strike. Germany, long a consistent backer of Israel, declared the attack \u201cunacceptable\u201d and a violation of Qatar\u2019s sovereignty. And India, which, under its nationalist leader Narendra Modi, has largely supported Israel, warned of \u201cescalation\u201d and said it was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2025\/9\/10\/mounting-condemnation-after-israeli-jets-bomb-hamas-office-in-qatar\">Mounting condemnation after Israeli jets bomb Hamas office in Qatar<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/10\/after-qatar-attack-israel-ambassador-to-us-says-well-get-them-next-time\">After Qatar attack, Israel ambassador to US says \u2018we\u2019ll get them next time\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/10\/how-long-did-it-take-israel-to-plan-attack-in-qatar\">How long had Israel been planning its attack in Qatar?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2025\/9\/10\/israel-strikes-yemens-sanaa-a-day-after-hitting-qatar\">Israel strikes Yemen\u2019s Sanaa a day after hitting Qatar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>But the rhetorical condemnation of Israel\u2019s attack may not translate into meaningful policy shifts. Israel has continually ignored international law during its war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, destroyed the enclave, and caused a famine. It has also repeatedly attacked neighbouring countries and rejected any international criticism it has faced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne could presume that these strikes would mean that Israeli allies who have been rather cautious in their criticism would change their direction, but this is not particularly likely,\u201d said HA Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Service Institute and Center for American Progress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn terms of policy, Israel has been engaged in a massive war of devastation on the Gaza Strip, leading to accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, and violating the sovereignty of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Tunisia over the past two years,\u201d Hellyer added. \u201cNone of that led to any substantial changes in policy towards the Israeli government from these states, and I don\u2019t expect this to either.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"global-shift\">Global shift<\/h2>\n<p>Qatar\u2019s growing diplomatic influence and its strong ties to the US lend extra significance to the Israeli attack, which failed in its mission to kill Hamas leaders, but did kill five lower-ranking Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. However, analysts cautioned that Qatar\u2019s standing with the US might not be enough to shift global policy towards Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternational public opinion is definitely shifting quite rapidly,\u201d said Karim Emile Bitar, a professor of international relations at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. \u201cHowever, I think that this shift in public opinion is mostly related to what\u2019s happening in Gaza, the famine and the fact that even leading Israeli intellectuals and scholars are now calling it a genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bitar said that the attack on Qatar would most likely lead to a hardening of attitudes towards Israel in the Gulf, rather than elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Gulf leaders have already visited Doha in solidarity or are planning to, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that Gulf states were discussing a response to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>For other countries, the attack on Qatar is the latest evidence that Israel is unconcerned with international law, and is creating an increasingly unstable Middle East, which is unpopular among the public in many countries. Their concern about that, weighed against how much they are willing to anger Israel and its chief ally, the US, determines how far they are willing to go in terms of action against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most notable shifts has been in Europe, where a number of countries \u2013 as well as the European Union \u2013 have become increasingly critical of Israel, and have begun to threaten sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently, Spain has imposed a formal arms embargo on Israel and banned ships carrying fuel for Israel\u2019s military from passing through its ports, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested sanctions \u2013 including the suspension of the EU-Israel free trade agreement \u2013 could be introduced.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3937345\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3937345\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ap_68c0abe32d3d6-1757457379.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Smoke rises after an Israeli attack on Doha, Qatar on Tuesday\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3937345\">The aftermath of Israel\u2019s bombing of Doha, Qatar on Tuesday [AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Double standards<\/h3>\n<p>But action against Israel from Western countries is still minimal in comparison with the isolation and sanctions placed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>That is despite Israel becoming increasingly unrestrained in committing violence across the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, one day after its strike on Qatar and just weeks after <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/8\/30\/yemens-houthis-confirm-israeli-airstrike-killed-the-groups-prime-minister\">assassinating<\/a> the prime minister of the Houthi rebel government in Yemen, Israel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2025\/9\/10\/israel-strikes-yemens-sanaa-a-day-after-hitting-qatar\">struck<\/a> the country, including a residential area in the capital, Sanaa, killing at least 35 people. And on two occasions this week, Israel has been accused of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/10\/map-israel-has-attacked-intercepted-all-gaza-bound-flotillas-since-2010\">launching two drone<\/a> attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful mission attempting to break the blockade of Gaza, and currently docked in Tunisia.<\/p>\n<p>That is in addition to its previous attacks on Syria, Lebanon and Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Neither has Israel indicated that it regrets the attack upon Qatar, nor given other states reason to hope that their territory would not be host to similar attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared entirely unrepentant, saying of the strike, \u201cIsrael initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Prime Minister&#8217;s Office:<\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. <\/p>\n<p>Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Benjamin Netanyahu \u2013 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df \u05e0\u05ea\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5 (@netanyahu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/netanyahu\/status\/1965417269837602943?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Other senior figures went further. Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, who is currently <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/8\/israel-india-sign-investment-deal-as-smotrich-welcomed-in-new-delhi?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">negotiating an investment deal<\/a> in India, despite its apparent concern over the strikes on Qatar, wrote that the enemies of Israel, whom he referred to as \u201cterrorists\u201d, would \u201chave no immunity from the long arm of Israel anywhere in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsrael has crossed red line after red line after red line and nothing has happened,\u201d Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in international security at King\u2019s College London said. \u201cEvery time it\u2019s crossed the Rubicon, it\u2019s gone right back and done it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEuropean states can say and do anything they like,\u201d he added, \u201cbut at the moment, there just isn\u2019t a sufficient deterrent to stop them striking anywhere they like.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"trump-is-key\">Trump is key<\/h2>\n<p>Geist Pinfold did point to one man who could change the way Israel acts: Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only figure that can stop them is Donald Trump,\u201d the academic said.<\/p>\n<p>The US provides billions of dollars in support to Israel, as well as arming it, ensuring it has military superiority over all its neighbours. It also supports Israel diplomatically, ensuring that Security Council resolutions against Israel are rare, and has even sanctioned officials from the International Criminal Court for having the temerity to charge Netanyahu for war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Trump himself is viewed favourably in Israel for his pro-Israel policies, particularly in his first term, when he recognised Jerusalem \u2013 including occupied East Jerusalem \u2013 as the capital of Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Many Israeli right-wingers view Trump\u2019s presidency as a perfect opportunity to carry out their goals, such as the annexation of the occupied West Bank. They believe the US will do little to stop them.<\/p>\n<p>And while Trump has rhetorically pushed for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, he has largely backed Israel\u2019s position, and has even suggested the Palestinian enclave be transformed into a \u201cGaza Riviera\u201d, involving what critics have called the ethnic cleansing of the Strip\u2019s Palestinian population.<\/p>\n<p>The bombing of Qatar, a country Trump visited soon after taking office for his second term this year, is, for the president, a different matter from Israel\u2019s treatment of the Palestinians. However, the White House narrative on Israel\u2019s bombing has already afforded Washington plausible deniability, saying that the US government only found out about the attack at the last minute, and tried to inform Qatar in time.<\/p>\n<p>A real indication of whether the US is frustrated with Israel will be if Trump now pushes his ally to finally agree to a ceasefire deal and end the war in Gaza, as well as its foreign adventurism.<\/p>\n<p>Based on past evidence, that may be unlikely. But if the US does, it has a chance of opening the floodgates and further isolating Israel internationally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to the global picture, the only game changer is the United States,\u201d said Bitar, \u201cand, more specifically, Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World leaders were quick to criticise Israel for its attack in Qatar on Tuesday, targeting Hamas political leaders discussing a ceasefire in Gaza. United States President Donald Trump, typically one of Israel\u2019s most vocal supporters, said he was \u201cvery unhappy about every aspect\u201d of the strike. Germany, long a consistent backer of Israel, declared the &#8230; <a title=\"Analysis: Will attack in Qatar lead to international isolation of Israel?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/analysis-will-attack-in-qatar-lead-to-international-isolation-of-israel\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Analysis: Will attack in Qatar lead to international isolation of Israel?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}