Analysis: Will attack in Qatar lead to international isolation of Israel?

World leaders were speedy to criticise Israel for its onslaught successful Qatar connected Tuesday, targeting Hamas political leaders discussing a ceasefire successful Gaza.

United States President Donald Trump, typically 1 of Israel’s astir vocal supporters, said helium was “very unhappy astir each aspect” of the strike. Germany, agelong a accordant backer of Israel, declared the onslaught “unacceptable” and a usurpation of Qatar’s sovereignty. And India, which, nether its nationalist person Narendra Modi, has mostly supported Israel, warned of “escalation” and said it was “deeply concerned”.

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But the rhetorical condemnation of Israel’s onslaught whitethorn not construe into meaningful argumentation shifts. Israel has continually ignored planetary instrumentality during its warfare connected Gaza, wherever it has killed much than 64,000 Palestinians, destroyed the enclave, and caused a famine. It has besides repeatedly attacked neighbouring countries and rejected immoderate planetary disapproval it has faced.

“One could presume that these strikes would mean that Israeli allies who person been alternatively cautious successful their disapproval would alteration their direction, but this is not peculiarly likely,” said HA Hellyer, a elder chap astatine the Royal United Service Institute and Center for American Progress.

“In presumption of policy, Israel has been engaged successful a monolithic warfare of devastation connected the Gaza Strip, starring to accusations of genocide astatine the International Court of Justice, and violating the sovereignty of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Tunisia implicit the past 2 years,” Hellyer added. “None of that led to immoderate important changes successful argumentation towards the Israeli authorities from these states, and I don’t expect this to either.”

Global shift

Qatar’s increasing diplomatic power and its beardown ties to the US lend other value to the Israeli attack, which failed successful its ngo to termination Hamas leaders, but did termination 5 lower-ranking Hamas members and a Qatari information officer. However, analysts cautioned that Qatar’s lasting with the US mightiness not beryllium capable to displacement planetary argumentation towards Israel.

“International nationalist sentiment is decidedly shifting rather rapidly,” said Karim Emile Bitar, a prof of planetary relations astatine the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. “However, I deliberation that this displacement successful nationalist sentiment is mostly related to what’s happening successful Gaza, the famine and the information that adjacent starring Israeli intellectuals and scholars are present calling it a genocide.”

Bitar said that the onslaught connected Qatar would astir apt pb to a hardening of attitudes towards Israel successful the Gulf, alternatively than elsewhere.

Gulf leaders person already visited Doha successful solidarity oregon are readying to, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that Gulf states were discussing a effect to Israel.

For different countries, the onslaught connected Qatar is the latest grounds that Israel is unconcerned with planetary law, and is creating an progressively unstable Middle East, which is unpopular among the nationalist successful galore countries. Their interest astir that, weighed against however overmuch they are consenting to choler Israel and its main ally, the US, determines however acold they are consenting to spell successful presumption of enactment against Israel.

One of the astir notable shifts has been successful Europe, wherever a fig of countries – arsenic good arsenic the European Union – person go progressively captious of Israel, and person begun to endanger sanctions.

Most recently, Spain has imposed a ceremonial arms embargo connected Israel and banned ships carrying substance for Israel’s subject from passing done its ports, portion European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested sanctions – including the suspension of the EU-Israel escaped commercialized statement – could beryllium introduced.

The aftermath of Israel’s bombing of Doha, Qatar connected Tuesday [AP]

Double standards

But enactment against Israel from Western countries is inactive minimal successful examination with the isolation and sanctions placed connected Russia pursuing its penetration of Ukraine.

That is contempt Israel becoming progressively unrestrained successful committing unit crossed the Middle East.

On Wednesday, 1 time aft its onslaught connected Qatar and conscionable weeks aft assassinating the premier curate of the Houthi rebel authorities successful Yemen, Israel struck the country, including a residential country successful the capital, Sanaa, sidesplitting astatine slightest 35 people. And connected 2 occasions this week, Israel has been accused of launching 2 drone attacks connected the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful ngo attempting to interruption the blockade of Gaza, and presently docked successful Tunisia.

That is successful summation to its erstwhile attacks connected Syria, Lebanon and Iran.

Neither has Israel indicated that it regrets the onslaught upon Qatar, nor fixed different states crushed to anticipation that their territory would not beryllium big to akin attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared wholly unrepentant, saying of the strike, “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes afloat responsibility.”

Prime Minister's Office:

Today's enactment against the apical violent chieftains of Hamas was a wholly autarkic Israeli operation.

Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes afloat responsibility.

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 9, 2025

Other elder figures went further. Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, who is presently negotiating an concern deal successful India, contempt its evident interest implicit the strikes connected Qatar, wrote that the enemies of Israel, whom helium referred to arsenic “terrorists”, would “have nary immunity from the agelong limb of Israel anyplace successful the world”.

“Israel has crossed reddish enactment aft reddish enactment aft reddish enactment and thing has happened,” Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer successful planetary information astatine King’s College London said. “Every clip it’s crossed the Rubicon, it’s gone close backmost and done it again.”

“European states tin accidental and bash thing they like,” helium added, “but astatine the moment, determination conscionable isn’t a capable deterrent to halt them striking anyplace they like.”

Trump is key

Geist Pinfold did constituent to 1 antheral who could alteration the mode Israel acts: Donald Trump.

“The lone fig that tin halt them is Donald Trump,” the world said.

The US provides billions of dollars successful enactment to Israel, arsenic good arsenic arming it, ensuring it has subject superiority implicit each its neighbours. It besides supports Israel diplomatically, ensuring that Security Council resolutions against Israel are rare, and has adjacent sanctioned officials from the International Criminal Court for having the temerity to complaint Netanyahu for warfare crimes.

Trump himself is viewed favourably successful Israel for his pro-Israel policies, peculiarly successful his archetypal term, erstwhile helium recognised Jerusalem – including occupied East Jerusalem – arsenic the superior of Israel.

Many Israeli right-wingers presumption Trump’s presidency arsenic a cleanable accidental to transportation retired their goals, specified arsenic the annexation of the occupied West Bank. They judge the US volition bash small to halt them.

And portion Trump has rhetorically pushed for a ceasefire woody successful Gaza, helium has mostly backed Israel’s position, and has adjacent suggested the Palestinian enclave beryllium transformed into a “Gaza Riviera”, involving what critics person called the taste cleansing of the Strip’s Palestinian population.

The bombing of Qatar, a state Trump visited soon aft taking bureau for his 2nd word this year, is, for the president, a antithetic substance from Israel’s attraction of the Palestinians. However, the White House communicative connected Israel’s bombing has already afforded Washington plausible deniability, saying that the US authorities lone recovered retired astir the onslaught astatine the past minute, and tried to pass Qatar successful time.

A existent denotation of whether the US is frustrated with Israel volition beryllium if Trump present pushes his state to yet hold to a ceasefire woody and extremity the warfare successful Gaza, arsenic good arsenic its overseas adventurism.

Based connected past evidence, that whitethorn beryllium unlikely. But if the US does, it has a accidental of opening the floodgates and further isolating Israel internationally.

“When it comes to the planetary picture, the lone crippled changer is the United States,” said Bitar, “and, much specifically, Donald Trump.”