President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting Qatar sweeping security guarantees, including a pledge of U.S. military protection, following an Israeli strike in Doha that targeted senior Hamas officials and set off a diplomatic crisis.
The order, issued Monday, declares that the United States will regard “any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or infrastructure of Qatar” as “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.” It further commits Washington to act with “all lawful and appropriate means — diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
The move came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Trump that Israel would not launch further attacks on Qatari soil. Israeli media said the order effectively means that “any terrorist operative residing in Qatar now enjoys a particularly high security guarantee not to be harmed.”
The executive order underscores the shockwaves from Israel’s strike three weeks earlier on Hamas leaders in Doha. The attack killed several Hamas affiliates and a Qatari security officer. Trump, angered by the strike, forced Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in a phone call from the White House. Photos released by U.S. officials showed Trump handing Netanyahu the phone and instructing him to read a prepared statement of regret.
The Qatari government described Netanyahu’s words as an apology. Netanyahu’s office said he expressed sorrow for the death of the Qatari officer and pledged that Israel would not violate Qatar’s sovereignty again.
Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, reacted with alarm to the Israeli strike and demanded assurances that such an incident would not be repeated. The new U.S. order appears to meet that demand.
According to the executive order, the United States will also conduct “joint contingency planning with the State of Qatar to ensure a rapid and coordinated response to any foreign aggression against Qatar.” The secretary of state is tasked with reaffirming the guarantee and coordinating with allies “to ensure complementary support measures.”
The document explains that the decision was based on years of U.S.-Qatari cooperation. It cites Qatar’s role in hosting American forces, enabling “critical security operations,” and acting as “a steadfast partner in the pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world — including through mediation that supported U.S. efforts to resolve significant regional and global conflicts.”
The order was signed the same day Trump and Netanyahu unveiled a “21-point plan” for ending the Gaza war. It also followed an Iranian missile strike in June on the U.S. base in Qatar, which Tehran said was retaliation for American attacks on its nuclear facilities.
For Israel, the decision complicates its campaign against Hamas. Netanyahu has accused Qatar of offering a “safe haven” to the group’s leaders, while Qatari officials insist they host Hamas at the request of the United States to enable communication channels.
Never before has Washington extended such a sweeping security guarantee to an Arab state. Analysts in Israel said the move effectively “ties Israel’s hands” by shielding Hamas leaders based in Qatar from further Israeli action.