On September 9, the Israeli army targeted the Hamas leadership in Qatar, striking Doha. The incident caused great dissatisfaction, and the official Qatar announced the termination of the mediation mission between Israel and Hamas.
Radar Armenia spoke with analyst Armen Petrosyan on this topic.
-What impact will the Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Doha have not only on the course of the Israel-Hamas conflict, but also on the international role of Qatar as a mediator and US ally, especially when the strike is viewed as a violation of the territory of a sovereign state?
-In essence, Israel's actions, which have not been very successful, mean that the escalation continues to grow, and no international mechanism can stop Israel. This is a significant indicator of the crisis in which both the region and the global system are. And such incidents may continue, especially given the reaction of the United States. The tension in the area will definitely increase, and it will also create problems for the United States. It is not excluded that Qatar will also carry out a psychological propaganda operation. I do not think that it will be a massive operation that can increase the tension in the region. As for the Palestinian-Israeli or Israel-HAMAS conflict, naturally, it will continue until Israel resolves the problems it faces and has the actual opportunity to fix them, which is the entire occupation of Gaza, the expulsion of the population of the territory, and the propaganda goal is the destruction of Hamas.
-According to Trump, it was Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision; the goal was not to bomb Qatar. How would you interpret this formulation? Could the US leadership's attempt to simultaneously alleviate the discontent of its ally Qatar and justify Israel's actions lead to a contradictory picture of US foreign policy?
-The US administration is demonstrating a unilateral and absolutely pro-Israeli stance, no matter how much it tries to have good relations with its other partners in the region, including Turkey, several important Arab countries - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc. In other words, the US is institutionally trying to maintain good relations with everyone, but the fact that its policy is absolutely pro-Israeli is also a fact. As for the operation in Qatar, I think that Israel acted alone and formally informed the US about the actions being prepared at the last moment. Let me say that this has been an accepted practice for Israel since 2023, when it carried out an operation in Qatar and then confronted both its allies and opponents with the fact. The US approach is straightforward, but objective in that the Trump administration is providing unilateral support to Israel, and all players in the region are aware of it. I think that in such an uncertain period in the world, they are planning their policies and steps, taking into account the style of the United States, that is, its absolute unwavering support for Israel.
-Given the tension between Israel and Qatar, is it possible that the peace process in the region will stop or regress, especially in conditions where Qatar plays a vital role in the release of hostages and alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
-At the moment, in the region, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone, the peace process is just a backdrop for advancing Israel's belligerent and aggressive policy. In other words, there are no serious expectations regarding the content. Peace can be with Israel's position, which implies a complete occupation of Gaza and a final victory over Hamas. And in a broader sense, to leave the issue of the creation of a Palestinian state off the agenda altogether. This is the goal, and as long as the international situation permits, Israel will strive to implement this plan. But, of course, the process is a background one, which should be a negotiation between Israel and Hamas, where Qatar and Egypt are actively mediating. The effectiveness in this matter is highly questionable, since we see that Israel has not taken into account any international restrictions.
Lilit Abrahamyan
