DOHA/JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 — An emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s Sept. 9 strikes on Doha and pledged full solidarity with the Gulf state, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a regional tour, reiterated strong support for Israel’s hardline stance.
As Washington continues to provide unconditional support to Israel, peace in the Middle East now remains a distant goal, analysts say.
SOLIDARITY WITH QATAR
Israel’s strikes on Qatar, a key U.S. ally hosting a major American air base, marked the first on a Gulf state since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.
In its final communique, the Arab-Islamic summit, chaired by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, condemned the Doha strikes on Hamas leaders as a “flagrant act of aggression” that violated international law and posed a grave threat to regional and global peace.
In his opening speech at the summit, which was attended by Arab and Islamic heads of state, senior officials and representatives of regional and international organizations, the Qatari emir described the Israeli assault as a “blatant violation of sovereignty” and an attempt to sabotage mediation efforts.
He said that the attack targeted Hamas negotiators in Doha who were reviewing a U.S. proposal, accusing Israel of undermining peace talks.
Arab and Islamic leaders reaffirmed absolute support for Qatar’s sovereignty, security and stability at the summit, and backed all measures it may take in response to the attack.
They also stressed that targeting Qatar, a neutral mediator, undermined ongoing ceasefire talks on Gaza and broader peace efforts.
The leaders also called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable, including sanctions, halting arms supplies, and reviewing diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
The summit further urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to coordinate efforts to suspend Israel’s UN membership, citing its persistent “violations” of international law and UN resolutions.
In a post on X, the Qatari emir said that the outcomes of the summit would intensify collective action and coordination, strengthen unity and promote a consolidated front.
U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
As the summit convened in Doha on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Israel, the first stop of a regional tour that will take him to Qatar on Tuesday.
At a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, he voiced clear support for Israel.
“Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security of the region,” Rubio said, echoing Israel’s hardline stance.
He added that the international efforts to recognize a Palestinian state will make Hamas feel “more emboldened,” referring to plans by an increasing number of Western states, including Britain, France and Canada, to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly later this month.
Bahraini political analyst Abdullah Al-Huwaihi said that Rubio’s visit to Israel was meant to warn the summit against taking meaningful action while reassuring Israel of U.S. support for its strike on Qatar.
Nimrod Goren, president of Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, said Rubio’s visit comes at a critical moment, with Israel conducting a major offensive in Gaza City, weighing its response to the recognition of a Palestinian state by more Western states, and seeking to contain regional and international backlash over its strike on Doha.
“U.S. support is important for the Israeli government on each of these issues, and the visit can enhance coordination and clarity regarding next steps,” he said, adding that Rubio’s trip largely reflects “U.S. support for Netanyahu’s policies and legitimizes the next military steps by the Israeli government.”
“It seems unlikely for the visit to advance a ceasefire. On the contrary, it may produce a go-ahead signal for excessive Israeli operations in Gaza,” he noted.
PEACE OUT OF REACH
The escalation raised doubts about Washington’s security commitment to its Arab partners and Israel’s willingness to pursue diplomacy in ending the war, given Qatar’s role as a mediator in the two-year conflict.
Peace in the Middle East remains out of reach as long as Washington continues to offer unconditional support to Israel, analysts said.
Since the Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023, they noted, the United States has repeatedly shielded Israel at the United Nations by vetoing ceasefire resolutions and continued supplying arms, further fueling the conflict.
They added that since the current U.S. administration took office in January, Gaza’s crisis has worsened: famine has been declared, Israel has launched a major offensive in Gaza City, and, for the first time, struck Qatar, a Gulf ally of Washington.
“The current context is one in which the Israeli government does not seem interested in a ceasefire, and the U.S. administration is not putting pressure towards this goal,” said Nimrod Goren.
Mokhtar Ghobashy, secretary-general of the Cairo-based El-Faraby Center for Political Studies, believed that the United States was a “partner and co-perpetrator” in Israel’s strike on Doha, the fourth attack on an Arab capital after Lebanon’s Beirut, Yemen’s Sanaa and Syria’s Damascus.
“This is because Qatar hosts an American base with air defense platforms and weapons.
These were put on high alert during a previous Iranian strike on the base, yet they stood completely silent during the Israeli strike on Qatar,” he said.
Ghobashy said he hopes Gulf and Arab states will realize the imbalance in their relations with the United States compared with Israel. (Xinhua)
