President Donald Trump granted major security guarantees to Qatar after a controversial Israeli airstrike targeted Hamas’s leadership in Doha.
Trump made the guarantee in an executive order dated Monday but revealed on Wednesday. The order highlighted the close relationship between Qatar and the United States, bound by “close cooperation, shared interests, and the close relationship between our armed forces.” Reflecting this, he granted Qatar one of the highest security guarantees outside of the Article 5 guarantees of NATO.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the executive order read.
In the event of an attack on Qatar, Trump vowed to use “all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
He further justified the executive order by praising the relationship between Qatar and the U.S., pointing to its hosting of U.S. forces and role in mediation.
“The State of Qatar has hosted United States forces, enabled critical security operations, and stood as a steadfast ally in pursuit of peace, stability, and prosperity, both in the Middle East and abroad, including as a mediator that has assisted the United States’ attempts to resolve significant regional and global conflicts,” it added. “In recognition of this history, and in light of the continuing threats to the State of Qatar posed by foreign aggression, it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack.”
Though the executive order doesn’t mention it, the move is almost certainly in response to the close U.S. ally Israel launching a surprise airstrike against the country last month. The attack aimed to take out Hamas’s political leadership, which has governed the group from the safety of Doha, while allowing for easy communication between its leaders and Western powers.
The attack failed in its aims, failing to kill any Hamas leaders, while enraging much of the world, including Israel’s closest ally.
Israel soon apologized under U.S. pressure, vowing it wouldn’t happen again.
On Monday, during a visit to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally apologized to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in a call, while President Donald Trump held the phone.
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Qatar hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East and serves as a neutral mediator for several major conflicts around the globe. They have provided pivotal mediation between Israeli and Hamas leaders during the war in Gaza, coordinating ceasefires, hostage exchanges, and other moves.
The U.S. has been reciprocal in assistance to Qatar, outright saving the existence of the state during the Qatari diplomatic crisis. U.S. officials convinced Saudi officials not to invade Qatar and seize the capital in a 2017 flurry of phone calls, after a Saudi-led blockade of the country over accusations that it supported terrorism.
