Israel's Bombing of Qatar: A Cold Calculation in the Trump-Netanyahu Alliance

Nearly four months ago, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Qatar's leader, praising his luxurious palace and signing a broad defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, which hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, reports Reuters.

Recently, Israel's surprise attack on Hamas leaders in Doha has disrupted those relations, angering Trump and drawing the ire of Doha and Western allies. The strikes ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resulted in the death of a Qatari security agent and five others, yet no Hamas leader was killed.

Trump expressed that he was "very unhappy with every aspect of the Israeli action." However, despite the outrage, analysts and U.S. officials note that the strikes are unlikely to change the President's fundamental approach to Israel.

In any case, the explosions underscored the cold calculation underlying the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu. Israel has demonstrated that it is unafraid to act against U.S. interests. U.S. officials have reported that Netanyahu’s government did not officially warn Washington about the impending bombings.

During a phone call with Netanyahu, Trump complained that he learned of the attack from U.S. military officials rather than directly from Israel. Trump also expressed discontent to Netanyahu regarding Israel targeting Qatar, considering its close ties to the U.S. and its central role in Gaza negotiations.