Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blown to bits mediation between his country and Hamas – bombing targets in Doha is a major step change and surely puts hostages at risk
Israel’s bombing of Middle Eastern haven Doha is a massive step change and two finger gesture at hopes for peace in Gaza. It seems that there is little Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not do to derail any path towards peace in the region and more specifically in Gaza.
Non-Gaza Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran were all arguably means to dismantle Tehran’s tentacles of terror throughout the Middle East. But Qatar is a moderator, a tiny haven in the Middle East, where if a ceasefire in Gaza was to be agreed upon, it would probably happen there.
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Not only that but Doha is a capital city of a foreign nation and bombing it is an act of hostility, surely a major act of violence against its sovereignty. Crucially it was in Doha that many of the Gaza ceasefire talks have taken place between mediators trying to strike another deal to stop the killing and free the hostages.
But Netanyahu clearly has a taste for destruction and defiantly dropping bombs on Doha blasts to bits any progress his mediators may have made behind the scenes. The attack has been instantly condemned by many and it is impossible to imagine that the US were not warned of the attack before it took place.
It may well turn out that the attack was indeed supported behind-the-scenes by the US and that President Trump green-lighted it. Many will be demanding to know how Israel can negotiate a Gaza peace deal as it is vowing to and demonstrably trying to kill all of the people speaking on behalf of Hamas.
And what of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza? This does nothing to secure their release and more likely puts them in greater peril as Israeli bombs level Gaza City’s buildings.
The oil-rich capital city of Doha has long been a wealthy haven, crammed with western expats, embassies and even an enormous US air base. But Israel immediately boasted that it took full responsibility for the ten air-launched bombs that ripped through a building in a Doha residential area.
As many as 15 Israeli fighters bombers, refuelled in mid-air, took part in the operation, prompting the UAE and Qatar to brand it a “cowardly attack.”
There is even some suspicion that Hamas’ leadership had been gathered to discuss a Gaza deal, perhaps prompted by Israel. The Israeli military can make grandiose claims about precision strikes as much as they like.
If our French neighbours dropped bombs on London to try and kill a terror leadership that had done it harm it could be an act of war. But Netanyahu, hemmed in by corruption court cases and right-wing supporters demanding more war, seems not to care.
And even as the bombs dropped on Doha attacks on Gaza more than 1,000 miles away continued to level Palestinian buildings and kill locals. It is very hard to understand how this level of aggression by one government can continue..