Maintaining Escalatory Dominance: Trump and the Predominant Sway of ‘Israel Firsters’

Alastair Crooke, 11 Sept 2025

The strike on the Hamas negotiating team assembled in Doha to discuss the ‘Witkoff Gaza proposal’ is not just another ‘IDF operation’ to be passed over silently (as with the de-capitation of almost the entire civilian cabinet in Yemen).

It marks rather, the end to an entire era -- and “a new reality” for Qatar.

It’s a landmark event. For decades, Qatar has played a very profitable game -- supporting the radical An-Nusra jihadists in Syria as a lever against Iran, while maintaining American military bases and a strategic partnership with Washington. Doha presented itself as a mediator -- dining with the jihadists whilst acting as a Mossad facilitator.

It was this multi-directional approach that gave Qatar the reputation of being the ‘eternal beneficiary’ in Middle Eastern crises and in Afghanistan. Even when Israel, Iran, or Saudi Arabia were under attack, Doha came out ahead. The Qataris calmly counted the profits from their gas and enjoyed the role of indispensable intermediaries.

Now this fairy tale is over: There will be no more ‘safe zones’. Most tellingly, the US (reported Israeli Channel 11) had approved the action about which Trump was then informed. Despite questioning the attack, Trump said he applauded any killing of Hamas members.

We should have seen this coming. The Doha attack was yet another Trump-Israel sneak attack -- a pattern that began with the sneak strike on the Hizbullah leadership assembling to discuss a US peace initiative – a methodology then was copied for the Iranian de-capitation operation of 13 June, just as Trump touted JCPOA talks with the Witkoff team commencing in the days ahead.