Headline: Sep 11, 2025 Trump Demanded Netanyahu Commit Not to Strike Qatar
In an almost dramatic twist to the story, which may have a
tremendous impact on Middle Eastern diplomacy, former U.S. President Donald
Trump allegedly cajoled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into assuring
him that Israel would no longer be able to embark on military action against
Qatar. It has created shockwaves throughout Washington, Jerusalem, and Doha and
put into doubt U.S.–Israel relations, Gulf security, and the fragile regional
alliances.
As several diplomatic sources have reported with regards to
the issue, Trump insisted that Netanyahu must not attack Qatar once more and
urged him to do so in an intensely felt phone call late on Wednesday night. The
debate was in the wake of an Israeli drone strike in Doha last week, which
targeted alleged Hamas operatives but also killed civilian people.
The Background: Strike in Israel in Doha.
Israeli troops carried out one such precision strike in Doha
on September 5, 2025 and claimed they were targeting a senior Hamas leader who
was thought to be organizing logistics and financing activities throughout the
Gulf. The attack killed several Qatari civilians and at least four other
people, one of whom was an Israeli target.
Qatar immediately condemned the attack by declaring it to be
a gross violation of sovereignty. The criticism was also echoed by regional
allies, among them Turkey and Iran, and the United States was mostly silent
until Trump reappeared with a strong statement.
Officials who are close to Trump disclosed that the former
president, who has been gradually re-establishing his international profile,
had a personal interest in the matter after hearing of tension building up in
Israel and Qatar which are two nations that the US has strategic relations.
Trump’s Intervention
Trump was categorical about his position in a late-night
statement in Palm Beach, Florida:
The Middle East does not require more uncontrollable
warfare, it requires a stable situation. I talked to Prime Minister Netanyahu
and Trump insisted that Netanyahu undertake not to attack Qatar again since the
region could not afford another escalation.
Diplomats indicate that it was not typical that the former
president intervened when he does not hold any office. Nevertheless, the fact
that Trump has a certain influence among the conservative lawmakers in
Washington and that he has long-term personal connections with Netanyahu
rendered the discussion interesting.
The white house has not even confirmed a coordination of
this outreach between the Biden administration and Trump. An administration
official, speaking background, told reporters in Washington, D.C that the
administration was aware of the conversation of Trump, but did not go as far as
to approve it.
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| Trump Demanded Netanyahu Commit Not to Strike Qatar |
Netanyahu’s Response
In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to
reporters Thursday morning without necessarily responding to the request of
Trump. Rather, he repeated the right of Israel to self-defense:
Israel will go to any extent to defend its citizens against
Hamas and any other terror group. Our friendships are important, however, our
national security is not negotiable.
Privately, however, the officials of the security apparatus
of Israel had acknowledged that American pressure, particularly by influential
leaders such as Trump, may make the future activities in the Gulf more
difficult.
Qatar’s Reaction
Qatari officials in Doha celebrated the Trump statement as a
display of rare American backing of the interests of the Gulf Arab state.
A spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Qatar wrote:
We value the steps undertaken by any leader to thwart
additional aggression action on Qatari territory. The seriousness of this
violation is indicated by the fact that Trump requested Netanyahu not to strike
Qatar again.
Qatar has also been in liaison with the United Nations in
order to call on an international resolution to the Israeli strike. The UN
security council is likely to meet next week in New York City to discuss the
problem.
Local and International Response.
The fuss has spread all over the Middle East. Turkey Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed disapproval of the Israeli attack in
Ankara, and thanked Trump to intervene, and Iranian officials in Tehran said
the incident exposed the irresponsible attitude of Israel toward international
standards.
At the same time European leaders Brussels asked to
restrain. The European Union made a unanimous statement warning Israel and
Qatar not to escalate the situation and instead to enter into a diplomatic
dialogue.
China and Russia, using the opportunity, accused Washington
of the fact that he did not avert the crisis in the first place. The two
nations indicated their willingness to assume an increased mediating role in
the Gulf.
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| Trump Demanded Netanyahu Commit Not to Strike Qatar |
Political Implications on the U.S. Politics.
In the US, Trump has been controversial with the lawmakers.
The republicans praised his decisive diplomacy whereas the Democrats condemned
him because he crossed boundaries as a citizen in the privacy.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said:
This should not be confused with the fact that Trump had
pressure on Netanyahu to stop striking Qatar again as a sign of real leadership
at a point when Biden is not doing the same.
On the other hand, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of
Connecticut reasoned:
Mar-a-Lago should not operate the foreign policy. It is a
bad precedent to set.
According to analysts, the comments of the Trump might also
be connected to the fact that he actively tries to read himself in case of the
possible political return in 2028.
The Path Forward
As of now, it is not clear how Israel and Qatar will relate
in future. The two countries have backchannel communication but trust has been
very shattered. Qatar has been alluding to the restriction of the intelligence
cooperation with Israel, whereas Israel indicated that it will not hesitate to
take action again in case Hamas makes Doha its operating base.
Simultaneously, the U.S. involvement is one of the
variables. The capacity of Washington to handle the tensions, whether it is
done through official mediums or the power of personalities such as Trump
himself, will, probably, be the factor that can lead to the crisis growing or
diminishing. It is an unsurprising extension of a larger truth about the Middle
East political landscape, experts assert, that small events can quickly
escalate into world-threatening crises when local hostilities and international
power politics collide.
Conclusion
The outcry of the intervention of Trump reveals the
instability of Middle East geopolitics as well as the persistence of previous
U.S. leaders. The former president intervened in one of the most delicate
diplomatic controversies of 2025 by implicating Trump who insisted that
Netanyahu promise not to strike Qatar again.
It is yet to be noticed whether his moves will help in
averting future violence or increasing political rifts. Yet, there is one thing
which is evident; the episode has reminded the world that in the Middle East
there is no actor, previous or present, that is ever out of the game.