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Israel's Attack on Hamas in Qatar Was Aimed at Eliminating Its Intransigent Faction

(Free Press) Michael Doran - For President Trump, Israel remains the security partner of choice in the Middle East, and Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, has done nothing to change that status. While Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu both issued statements insisting that Israel acted alone, their denials of coordination strain belief. Israel often acts without guarantees, and when its bets fail, it suffers the consequences alone. Trump embraces the wins and distances himself from failures. Israel's ability to go on offense places it in a rare category among U.S. allies. Most lack the will or capacity to wage war independently. Unilateral Israeli military operations spare American forces and serve U.S. strategic goals. In just two years, Israel has blunted Iran's nuclear ambitions, hammered Hizbullah, neutered Hamas, and weakened the Houthis - achievements many Americans view as enhancing their own security. Trump understands that Israeli military power elevates U.S. global status. The public distance he strikes from Israel fools no one. In Gaza ceasefire negotiations, the Israelis perceive significant differences between Hamas in Gaza and Hamas in Doha. Gaza's leaders - second- and third-tier figures elevated by the deaths of their commanders - show greater readiness for compromise than Doha's leaders, some of whom are close to Iran. Israel's attack aimed to eliminate this intransigent wing. Destroying Hamas aligns with the Netanyahu Doctrine: no monsters on Israel's borders. Before Oct. 7, Israel allowed groups like Hamas and Hizbullah to grow, believing deterrence and diplomacy could manage them. That assumption no longer holds. The writer is a senior fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute.
2025-09-18 00:00:00
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