Qatar is seeking to rally support in the Middle East and around the world in the wake of Israel’s airstrike on a house where Hamas members were present last week.
The airstrike was unprecedented in that it took place in a country that is a major non-NATO ally of the US. Doha has long cultivated close ties with the West and with other countries, such as Iran. It portrays itself as a neutral mediator. It also hosts Hamas leaders, however, and it hosted the Taliban prior to that group returning to power in Afghanistan.
Doha is now seeking to build support in the region and see if it can test the waters in terms of how countries might react to Israel’s attack.
“Leaders from Arab and Muslim countries will gather for an emergency summit in Doha on Monday, a week after Israel’s unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar prompted widespread anger,” Saudi-based newspaper Arab News reported. “The joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
A draft of the resolution being formed among the attendees reportedly condemns Israel’s “aggression.”
Meanwhile, “Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Sunday criticized Israel and warned that ‘silence in the face of a crime... paves the way for more crimes,’” the report said. Speaking at the “preparatory meeting on the eve of an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha, Aboul Gheit said that the summit itself sends a powerful message: ‘Qatar is not alone. The Arab and Islamic worlds stand beside it.’”
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who recently was in the US to meet Trump administration officials and the US president, Arab News reported. He urged the international community on Sunday to “stop using double standards” and punish Israel for what he described as its “crimes.”
Qatar: A beacon in the Middle East?
The question is whether Qatar’s cloud will have the effect that Doha intends. Qatar is a relatively small but wealthy country, and it has been able to grow its influence globally in a variety of ways.
It backs educational philanthropy in the West, essentially using its wealth to achieve influence abroad. It also has close ties to Turkey and various Islamic causes. This means it can leverage these causes through funding.
As such, Qatar is able to wield influence far beyond its size. In a time when many Arab countries have been weakened by economic problems or torn apart by civil war, Doha has sought to stand as a beacon in the region. What this means is that it also attracts powerful media, via Al Jazeera, Western universities, and sports events. It held the World Cup, for instance.
Previous media reports and commentators have sought to compare the power of the Gulf states to that of the city-states of ancient Greece.
The UAE was once called “Little Sparta.” The name was probably inaccurate, however, as the UAE does not have the Spartan military prowess.
In fact, many of the Gulf states likely have more in common with Athens, which was a wealthy naval power, than they do with the landed military ethos of Sparta and Sparta’s Peloponessian allies.
THESE COMPARISONS go too far. In truth, the complex power of the Gulf states is not in their ability to project military power. Comparing them to Holland of the 17th century, or some similar wealthy small country, only goes so far to explain their influence.
This is why Doha is now being tested. All of its investments abroad and its powerful media at home will now have to see if they can actually rally support against Israel.
A war of alliances
Israel is a close ally of the US, a point made clear by the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the frequent discussions between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
There are voices in the West who are critical of Israel or even want to see arms embargoes. The push by European states to recognize Palestine, for instance, is one way that Israel is losing out in Europe and even among close allies of the US.
Israel’s friendships in the US, however, go very deep. This is particularly true on the political Right in the US.
Many politicians speak of Israel as basically America's only ally these days. They see it as uniquely connected to the US, and this goes both ways; Israel sees itself as closely tied to the future of the US. When it comes to visits by US officials and politicians, Israel is the country that is probably most visited out of any in the world.
Qatar has its friends in the US and the West as well. The recent strike in Doha, however, has led to a kind of curtain-raiser for whether Doha’s influence stacks up to Israel’s.
Many commentators have become more critical of Qatar. At the same time, some commentators, such as Tucker Carlson, have become more critical of Israel.
Qatar appears increasingly to be in the crosshairs of the critique of pro-Israel voices. As such, Doha’s attempt to rally support is a gamble. It may try to portray itself as calling on countries not to recognize Israel, or it may speak of double standards.
Nevertheless, the question will now be whether it wants to use its influence to confront Israel more openly or whether it wants to return to its role of portraying itself as a mediator.
It’s a gamble for Doha to take the gloves off. It has gotten a lot of return on investment from many countries by being a place that hosts meetings. If it is seen as taking a side in a conflict, more than it already has by hosting Hamas leaders, it can force the hand of countries and may change perceptions of Doha.
This is like the competition between the city-states in ancient Greece before the destructive Peloponnesian War.
Sparta’s king warned against what would happen once the die was cast. Indeed, the war ruined most of those who participated. Had they settled things amicably, then decades of open war would have been prevented.
Perhaps Israel is Sparta, and Doha’s Athens should be wary of moving toward more confrontation?