At Doha Forum, US Burden Sharing and Israeli Conduct Take Center Stage
Gulf leaders, Western officials, and policy heavyweights converged on this year’s Doha Forum to ask a blunt question: Is Israel now the main source of regional instability even as the US pushes local partners to shoulder more of the security load? Reporting from Doha, Jacob Wirtschafter tracks how that debate played out in a capital hit in recent months by both Iranian missiles and an Israeli drone strike aimed at Hamas negotiators.
Setting the tone, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal said, “For the moment, definitely it is Israel,” citing strikes in Syria, ongoing operations in Gaza, and clashes along the Lebanese border. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, told right-wing American political commentator Tucker Carlson that the Israeli strike on Doha “shocked” President Donald Trump and violated the basic rule of mediation: “To have the mediator hit by one of the parties is unprecedented.”
From Washington’s corner, Daniel Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, said on LinkedIn that he attended the forum to urge Qatari leaders to press Hamas to disarm, relinquish control, and leave Gaza. “Without that, the rest of Trump’s 20-point plan can’t move forward,” he said, noting that Qatar had already used its influence to secure the release of all hostages after Israel’s September strike in Doha. Shapiro added that he delivered this message directly to Qatar’s prime minister and other senior officials.
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Also weighing in on LinkedIn, Palestinian American analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, sharply challenged Qatar’s account of its long-standing ties to Hamas. He argued that Doha is using prominent platforms—including Carlson’s appearance—to “launder the lie” that its backing for the group was simply a response to US and Israeli requests. Qatar’s support, he wrote, long predates any mediation role and reflects its ideological closeness to Hamas’s Muslim Brotherhood roots, reinforced by years of funding and Al Jazeera promotion.
Alkhatib also rejected Qatar’s claim that great-power pressure left it no choice, noting that other US partners routinely refuse Washington’s requests when they clash with their national interests. “ONLY Qatar wants to be taken seriously, forgiven, and given a pass for supporting a jihadi terrorist group in Gaza,” he wrote, calling Doha’s defense of its record “a sick, disgusting joke.”
Neither Shapiro’s nor Alkhatib’s commentary appeared in Wirtschafter’s published article; he flagged both for me after publication as useful context for understanding the wider conversation surrounding the forum.
Wirtschafter’s reporting follows sharp disagreements over the Gaza ceasefire’s second phase and the US president’s 20-point peace plan, with experts such as Ilan Zalayat and Ali Bakir debating whether Israel is now seen as a stabilizing partner or a trigger for new crises. An Atlantic Council session becomes a stress test of Washington’s “burden sharing,” as Victoria Coates, David Schenker, Hillary Clinton, and US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker argue over how far the US can pull back while still leading. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warns, “The moment is extremely sensitive,” adding, “In this region, missed moments become new conflicts.”
Taken together, Wirtschafter’s piece walks readers through the rooms, side sessions, and power plays in Doha—and makes a strong case for reading the full story.
