Qatar’s Prime Minister Muhammad al-Thani threatened that there will be a response to the Israeli attack on senior Hamas figures in Doha. Could such statements possibly harm Israel? The answer is yes.
A more plausible scenario for such a move is an intensification of criticism of Israel via the Doha-based hate network “Al-Jazeera.” After all, this is the most powerful tool Qatar has against Israel. The television network is already responsible for spilling Jewish blood around the world, having spread anti-Semitism and explicit incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis.
The funeral in Doha
It is quite likely we will soon see increased anti-Israel rhetoric on the network based in Doha. That will have implications throughout the region, including among the Palestinians and Arab citizens of Israel, because they are not without influence.
Israel has closed Al-Jazeera’s offices in the country, but that does not prevent the Qatari network from continuing to broadcast to the region. An intensification of incitement on the television stage would be a relatively easy response. The Qataris may use this card, because they can change course fairly easily — if they conclude they have punished Israel enough.
It’s likely that Qatar will not take irreversible steps; its leaders are too smart to do that. Dramatic things aren’t expected. This is a cunning country, and one can estimate with considerable certainty that we will not see military action against Israel. It is very possible that Qatar will increase its financial support for terrorist organizations, and work behind the scenes in ways that harm Israeli interests.
The strike in Qatar
In addition, it is possible we will see a UN Security Council condemnation — but in any case, the Americans will veto it. Another possibility is strong Qatari activity at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, which could include attempts to get as many countries as possible to recognize a Palestinian state. Qatar itself has already expressed support for the move, but one must remember it has influence on quite a few countries.
Qatar can act against Israel and against any normalization with countries around the world; it has wide international influence thanks to the fact that it acts as a mediator and also opens its wallet, buys assets without recognition. Qatar can be a key player in persuading states not to normalize relations with Israel. It has influence in the Gulf States, but we should recall that in the past it had a harsh crisis with its neighbors.
Qatar's mouthpiece
Behind the scenes — it is fairly hated in its region. One should not be impressed by photos of Gulf leaders going to Doha to show solidarity. No leader in the Middle East shed a tear for what Israel did. Maybe the opposite — they loved to see how Israel humiliated the arrogant Qataris, who acted like owners of the house in the Gulf.
What more can Qatar do? It can intensify pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump and his people to change their line against Israel, and convince them that Jerusalem is the source of problems in the Middle East. Israel, for its part, needs to watch so that Qatar does not increase activity in this direction. Qatar is already planning imminently an “emergency summit” of Arab and Muslim countries to lead decisions against Israel.
Another scenario to take into account: Qatar might expose information about the Qatargate affair to settle scores with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his people. If Doha has information linking Netanyahu to suspicions concerning Qatar’s relationship with the Prime Minister’s Office — they could expose it and seek cold revenge.
Also among the possible measures: Qatar might decide to expel senior Hamas leaders from its territory and stop serving as a mediator in the deal. On the other hand, it could intensify its mediation efforts to prove to everyone that there is no substitute for it. Qatar could also file a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and present a claim for compensation against Israel for harming its sovereignty and Hamas members.
Furthermore, Qatar may push Gulf countries to cool their relations with Israel. Today, in an official UAE statement, it was written that Abu Dhabi “strongly condemns Netanyahu’s hostile remarks against Qatar, and affirms its full solidarity with Qatar.”