Israel’s Terrorism Against Qatar Must Be Curbed
Al-Ahram, Egypt, September 13
The strange incident unfolded this week, when Israel launched a large-scale airstrike on a civilian site in Doha housing Hamas leaders—an unprecedented attack in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. Despite widespread regional and international condemnation, I urge the Arab leaders gathering in Doha for the upcoming global and regional solidarity summit to move beyond mere denunciation and to send a message that is political and economic rather than military, aimed squarely at Israel and, in particular, the United States, because this suspicious and unsettling operation came at an especially perplexing moment.
Israel brazenly ignored all mediators, including the United States and even Qatar itself—the key intermediary—during a critical meeting of the Hamas delegation to discuss the latest prisoner exchange proposal. Many questions raised by this surprise attack will surface in the days ahead, but one reality is already clear: most Arab and Middle Eastern capitals are now exposed to Israeli aggression.
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This strike marks the eighth location to which the fires of the occupation have spread in just two years—after Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, followed by Iran, and now Qatar, the very heart of the Gulf. And who does not grasp what the Gulf represents to America and the world, or the depth of the economic and military ties that bind them? The arrogance of power now threatens to shatter the entire region, reflecting the Middle East that Israel envisions and that America, despite its protests, does not decisively reject.
Washington’s position remains ambiguous, even though President Donald Trump has said he is unhappy with the attack. Israel, however, will not be deterred without a firm and coordinated response—one that is political, economic, and far-reaching. Only through unified Arab and international action can this reckless madness be halted before it escalates further, for it is already a symptom of the deep crisis afflicting Israeli society after years of war. If Israel does not sense a meaningful step forward and a genuine threat from the global community and its institutions, we risk confronting a new criminal state that defies all norms of justice and threatens the very foundation of human values. Without real international cooperation to stop this aggression, akin to the global stand that ultimately defeated Hitler after World War II, humanity itself faces the prospect of an even darker and more protracted ordeal than any it has endured since the dawn of history.
Osama Saraya (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
