After Doha Strikes, Iran and Qatar Unite Against Israel

Dozens of countries are expected to attend the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar, to take place the day after tomorrow. Erdogan will be coming from Turkey, Pezeshkian from Iran, and representatives from Sudan, Iraq, the Saudis, the Jordanians, and the Egyptians. It's also possible a representative from the Palestinian Authority will be there. Tomorrow, the foreign ministers of those countries will be in a preparatory meeting.

The goal is to produce a joint Arab political decision, as well as diplomatic actions, including pressure on Israel through the Americans. The goal is to consolidate a political front. There's also a possibility that Qatar is considering bringing Israel, or Netanyahu alone, to the International Court of Justice over the incident in Doha. (i24)

Analysts suggest that Qatar and Iran want to use the emergency summit to leverage the recent Israeli strike and shift the regional dynamic. The summit is reportedly aimed at replacing the existing anti-Iranian axis with a new anti-Israeli one.

In a dramatic message, the head of Iran's National Security Council stated, "We don't want to see speeches; we want to see action, for example, the establishment of a joint command center against Israel."

Qatar is seeking to push the summit to produce "decisions with teeth" against Israel. There are also reports that they are attempting to persuade countries with leverage over Israel, such as the United Arab Emirates, to downgrade their relations. These efforts gained some ground after the UAE reportedly summoned Israel’s deputy ambassador for a reprimand following the strike.

In addition, not everyone believes Trump's promise to Qatar that Israel will not attack again.

Meanwhile, the UAE is considering suspending relations with Israel if it goes ahead with an annexation move against the Palestinians. This is all happening against the backdrop of the Saudi and French initiative for a Palestinian state.

i24 reports: Egypt has put its new initiative on the table, a joint Arab force to confront Israel. An Arab NATO.

It's not a simple thing at all. We're hearing several Arab reports about a very, very low volume in the relations between Israel and Egypt, including on the security level. And now, there are some publications, among others from Al-Akhbar, but not only, about the intention of Egyptian President Sisi to establish a regional, NATO-like Arab force. This will probably be discussed at the summit tomorrow.

Why does Egypt want backing? It's a nine-year-old initiative that was only recently re-endorsed in the Arab League as part of a full Egyptian-Saudi vision. But the Saudis haven't always agreed with the Egyptians. Sisi wants to contribute 20,000 of his soldiers to this force. He wants an Egyptian general to oversee this force, to command it.

It's not certain that the Saudis will agree to this, as the Egyptians are only designating them the second spot. The initiative exists as part of a very, very, very hostile discourse towards Israel in Egypt. There are states of alert on the Egyptian border, with an Egyptian Chief of Staff and an Egyptian Defense Minister calling for a state of alert against Israel. But ... we are not really at war with Egypt right now. It must be said again.

This goes to the elephant in the room, which is why Qatar accepts the presence of Hamas leaders in its country in the first place.

The answer dates back to 2012, when the U.S. encouraged Qatar to host Hamas's political office in Doha to maintain open communication channels with the group, especially after Hamas was expelled from Syria. This has enabled Qatar to play a pivotal role in cease-fire talks, hostage negotiations (such as those following the October 7, 2023, attacks), and aid delivery to Gaza, where it has provided an estimated $1.8 billion in funding to the Hamas-run government for infrastructure and salaries.

Strategically, Qatar balances relationships with diverse actors, including the U.S. (which maintains a major military base there), Iran, Israel, and Palestinian factions, to project itself as a neutral power broker rather than an outright supporter of terrorism.

Qatari officials argue that hosting Hamas leaders allows for direct influence over the group, potentially moderating its actions and aiding de-escalation, while also aligning with broader support for Palestinian causes that began after Hamas's 2006 election victory.

This enables Hamas to operate freely, with recent events like Israel's September 10, 2025, strike on Hamas figures in Doha highlighting tensions and calls for expulsion. Despite pressure, Qatar maintains the hosting is essential for diplomacy, even as discussions emerge about Hamas relocating to countries like Turkey or Iran.

Qatar is well-known to be seriously involved in pro-terror funding and support, while pretending to be an Israeli "ally". It beggars belief that the world is stupid enough to accept that they are neutral.

In fact, Qatar's recent motto, "Doha, the capital of peace," is gaining traction in the Arab world, Qatar is indeed branding itself as a peace-loving country. That's gaining a foothold in the Arab discourse.

In a related development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to visit the Western Wall tomorrow.

There have been no confirmed deaths of senior Hamas leaders during the strike, except that Hamas announced that Khalil al-Hayya was injured in the strike.