Morning Note

The State Department describes Qatar as a key U.S. ally. “Bilateral relations are strong, with the United States and Qatar coordinating closely on a wide range of regional and global issues,” its website states. The country is also home to the Middle East’s largest American military base. 

Given that close relationship, you probably wouldn’t expect Israel, America’s “most special ally,” to commit an act of war against the Qataris. But it did just that on Tuesday.

The Israeli military conducted an airstrike on Qatar’s capital city of Doha yesterday morning, targeting Hamas’s negotiating team as it mulled a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israelis took full responsibility for the offensive, and Donald Trump said they didn’t tell him about the attack until it was too late to reverse course. Qatar condemned the strike and suspended its mediation between Hamas and Israel shortly after its conclusion.

The White House acknowledged that the campaign did not advance U.S. goals during yesterday’s press briefing, and said the administration “feels very badly about the location of this attack.” 

This begs an obvious question: if Israel is going to use American money to attack an American ally without seeking the president’s permission, how are they a friend to the United States?

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