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Israel believes it can do whatever it wants, wherever it wants, with no consequences. When will world leaders finally intervene with action to stop this lawlessness and madness?
Responding to Israel’s September 10 attack aimed at Hamas negotiators in Qatar, all 12 members of the UN Security Council issued a toothless statement of condemnation that didn’t even mention Israel by name. This cowardly response underscores the pathetic international reaction to nearly two years of genocide.
Israel believes it can do whatever it wants, wherever it wants, with no consequences–which has been true for two years now. It has already destroyed Gaza. It is expanding settlements, annexing the West Bank, threatening Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. It has attacked aid flotillas, bombed refugee camps, and assassinated negotiators. Now it has bombed a U.S.-allied Gulf capital. And still, the world hesitates.
One would think that the bombing of Qatar — a U.S. ally, the home of U.S. Central Command, and the very place where ceasefire negotiations were being brokered–would be a game changer. The strike killed five Hamas staffers and a Qatari security officer. The senior Hamas leaders survived, but the real target was not just them. The target was diplomacy itself.
Trump, for his part, has been playing a double game: issuing ultimatums to Hamas while allowing Israel to bomb the very negotiators the U.S. asked Qatar to host. His excuse that his envoy “called too late” to warn Doha is laughable. The truth is simpler: Washington could have stopped this. Its air defenses sat idle. Its umbrella of “protection” never opened. The U.S. is not a bystander; it is complicit.
The world is watching, and millions of people across continents are demanding an end to this genocide.
Netanyahu bragged about authorizing a “surgical precision strike” in Doha on what he called “terrorist chiefs.” But let’s be clear: this was state terrorism, carried out in broad daylight against a sovereign country at the heart of U.S. strategy in the Gulf. It was an assassination attempt deliberately timed to blow up the possibility of a ceasefire by killing the very negotiators needed to reach one. For nearly two years, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has consistently obstructed ceasefire talks. The strike on Doha is final proof that Israel has no interest in peace — only endless war.
In Europe, close Israeli allies Germany, France and Britain condemned the strike, as did China and Russia. Even in Israel, the attack provoked outrage from hostage families. Einav Zangauker, whose son is captive in Gaza, said Netanyahu had “essentially sentenced my Matan to death.” She asked the question millions are asking: why does Israel blow up every small chance for a deal?
And the Arab world? Qatar’s prime minister Mohammed Al Thani called the attack “state terrorism,” warning the region that Netanyahu is destabilizing everything and that Netanyahu needs to be brought to justice. Saudi Arabia called it “a violation of international law and an unacceptable aggression against a fellow Arab state.” Jordan warned of “dangerous escalation.” The UAE expressed “grave concern.”
Yet words are cheap. Where is the action? Where is the red line? Arab states have watched Palestinians burned alive in tents, starved at aid lines, bombed in their homes for two years — and offered little more than statements.
If the world allows Israel to get away with bombing Doha, then no country in the Middle East is safe. Arab leaders who rushed to normalize with Israel under Trump’s so-called Abraham Accords–the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan–now find themselves exposed as collaborators while Netanyahu bombs Arab capitals with impunity. The very least they must do right now is rescind those accords, and the rest of the Arab world must denounce any moves to normalize relations.
Qatar is convening an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, and has called for a collective Arab response. This must be more than words: a coordinated campaign to cut trade, sever ties, and impose sanctions on the rogue Israeli state.
Words are cheap. Where is the action? Where is the red line? Arab states have watched Palestinians burned alive in tents, starved at aid lines, bombed in their homes for two years — and offered little more than statements.
From there the crisis will move to New York. As the new session of the UN opens and the U.S. continues to use its veto to stop the Security Council from taking action, the General Assembly must put the crisis at the top of its agenda. It must invoke the Uniting for Peace resolution to call for the following:
The world is watching, and millions of people across continents are demanding an end to this genocide. The UN General Assembly still has the chance to rise to the occasion, to prove that international law is not just words on paper. The bombing of Doha should be the breaking point — the moment the world finally acts.
One policy expert called the bombing "an attack on diplomacy itself" that could do long-term harm to US credibility.
Following Israel's assassination attempt against members of Hamas' negotiating team in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, Qatari officials announced the country's mediation efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal to end Israel's bombardment of Gaza would be suspended—suggesting the Israeli military is now entering "full ethnic cleansing mode," according to one academic.
The total breakdown of the ceasefire talks comes after Israel's bombing in Doha, which Israeli officials claimed responsibility for on Tuesday and said was aimed at assassinating the negotiators—but ultimately killed six people who were not involved with Hamas' team.
The Trump administration said Tuesday it had been aware of the attack before it was carried out and claimed it had warned Qatari officials—which Qatar denied.
Analysts suggested the lead-up to the bombing—with the US securing Hamas and Israeli support for a vague ceasefire proposal that was to be discussed in Doha—pointed to a scenario in which the US helped orchestrate the attack and aided "an attack on diplomacy itself," as Center for International Policy executive vice president Matt Duss said.
Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), warned the assassination attempt could cause long-lasting harm to the United States' reputation.
"This is an attack in the capital of a major non-NATO US ally in the midst of US-supported negotiations—against officials who were originally hosted there at the United States' request," said Duss. "If it was conducted with the approval of the US, it's the latest nail in the coffin of [President Donald] Trump's claim to be a 'peacemaker.' This will have disastrous consequences for future peace efforts, and for US security."
"This collaboration is evidenced by the blatant plan to lure ceasefire negotiators into a single location under the pretense of peace talks, only to attempt to assassinate them."
The Trump administration's response to the attack was ambiguous, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the bombing did not "advance Israel or America's goals" but adding that "eliminating Hamas... is a worthy goal."
The attack, said Duss, makes clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to see Israel's accelerating campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza through to the end," and has no intention of reaching a ceasefire deal.
Gregg Carlstrom of The Economist said that as far as countries in the Gulf region are concerned, the question of whether Trump knew about the attack ahead of time "is somewhat irrelevant."
"If yes, he approved a strike on a country under an American security guarantee," said Carlstrom. "If no, he couldn't prevent said strike. Either way, the question for Gulf leaders is the same: What is the value of American security guarantees?"
Condemnation of the attacks poured in from global leaders including United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who said Israel's actions were "a clear violation of [Qatar's] sovereignty and territorial integrity" and accused Israeli officials of "destroying" efforts for a permanent ceasefire.
Other countries including Algeria, Jordan, and Egypt also decried the attack on Qatar's "sovereignty" and accused Israel of undermining the talks.
The peace group CodePink asserted that "the US is fully aware of Israel's intentions and actively collaborates with it" to reach the "true objective" of "the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians."
"This collaboration is evidenced by the blatant plan to lure ceasefire negotiators into a single location under the pretense of peace talks, only to attempt to assassinate them," said CodePink. "This is a complete rejection of a diplomatic solution—something Israel has no intention of reaching. This attack on foreign soil also serves as a direct challenge to Qatar, proving that neither its borders, laws, nor financial influence can deter Israeli strikes."
The assassination attempt proves, said the group, that "peace negotiations are essentially antithetical to Israel and a trap for more assassinations and attacks on sovereign nations."
"It is time world leaders take a principled stand in defense of the people of Gaza," said the group. "The more the international community fails to hold Israel accountable, the more brazen it becomes in their war crimes."
"The whole point was to gather people together to discuss the peace offer to kill them," said one journalist.
This is a developing story... Please check back for possible updates.
The government of Qatar slammed Israel for a "cowardly" attack in violation of international law on Tuesday, an assassination attempt which targeted members of Hamas' negotiating team in the capital city of Doha who had gathered to discuss a new Gaza ceasefire proposal put forth by US President Donald Trump.
Al Jazeera reported on "multiple explosions... in Qatar's capital, Doha, this afternoon, followed by plumes of smoke that rose above an area where some embassies are located."
Reporting from Jordan for the outlet, Hamdah Salhut wrote that the airstrikes against the negotiators were "surely unprecedented."
"[Qatar] is a country that is hosting mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire, that has been working tirelessly to get to some sort of an agreement to end the war," said Salhut. "This is clearly going to be seen as an escalation because the Israeli army is operating in a way that they haven't before, saying they are taking new measures, especially in light of the plans to seize Gaza City."
As they attacked the negotiating team, the Israel Defense Forces also demanded the evacuation of 1.3 million Palestinians from Gaza City and areas north of it, as they intensify attacks there.
The assassination attempt came hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had accepted the US proposal, many of the details of which have not been disclosed. According to Al Jazeera, the proposal was similar to one previously proposed by the US which would require the release of half of the living Israeli captives who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, after which a 60-day ceasefire would begin with negotiations for a permanent end to the war.
That deal was agreed to by both parties before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out.
A spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the attack on the negotiating team was a "criminal attack" that constitutes "a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and [is] a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar."
"While the state of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty," said the ministry. "Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available."
Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian writer at The Nation, noted that the attack came hours after the bombing of the Global Sumud Flotilla that was bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid and anchored in Tunis.
"These are brazen acts of war. What other country gets away with all of this?" said El-Kurd, adding that the assassination attempt "was reportedly coordinated with the US."
Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, also said the US appeared to have helped orchestrate the attack.
"Here's what just happened: Trump sent a peace deal to Hamas, Hamas met to discuss it in Doha, where the US is mediating talks and has a base, and Israel bombed them, presumably with US support," wrote Grim. "The strike in Doha was aimed at Hamas negotiators who were gathered to discuss Trump's ceasefire offer, according to a Hamas official speaking on Al Jazeera, much as Trump carried out fake nuclear talks with Iran in order to kill Iranian negotiators. That might explain why Trump's offer was so short and scant on details. The whole point was to gather people together to discuss the peace offer to kill them."
Michael Scaglione of the podcast "Two Doomed Men" said that if Grim's suggested version of events is confirmed, US President Donald Trump "has now okayed more than one 'Red Wedding'-style deception/manipulation under the pretext of negotiating."
"The more of this that occurs," he said, "the harder it becomes to enter good faith negotiations with anyone."
Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, called Tuesday's attack "absolutely insane."
US military sources in the region told Al Jazeera that they had not been aware of the attack before it occurred, but said they could not "speak to whether or not the White House was informed."
"So the genocidal Israeli military just struck another sovereign nation, this time Qatar, an American ally that has been working alongside Washington to media ceasefire negotiations, where it targeted Hamas' political leaders who were reportedly gathering to discuss US proposal," said Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American political analyst.
Tuesday's attack in Doha, he added, "should put an end to any idea that Israel is interested in a deal in Gaza, if anyone was still entertaining that. Its sole focus is genocide in Gaza."