The potential consequences of Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Today, the leader of the United Arab Emirates visited Doha to express solidarity with Qatar one day after an unprecedented Israeli attack on the Gulf nation, which is a major non-NATO ally of the U.S. Israel's airstrikes that targeted Hamas' political leaders reportedly failed to kill them, but rattled the region.

  To discuss the attack and the regional ramifications, we turn to Marwan Muasher. He's the vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. And he's also the former foreign minister of Jordan. He joins us now from Amman.

  Marwan Muasher, welcome back to the "News Hour."

• Marwan Muasher, Former Jordanian Foreign Minister:

  Thank you.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Israel's strike in Doha aimed at Hamas leadership was the first acknowledged strike on a Gulf state. In your view, what message does it send to the broader region?

• Marwan Muasher:

  I think the primary question that the region is asking today is, is regional peace a priority of Israel?

  Because, judging from Israeli actions coupled with Israeli statements that they intend to annex the West Bank, it does not seem that regional peace is of any priority to Israel. I think what it is also doing is, it is killing the prospects of any expansion of the Abrahamic Accords. The Abrahamic Accords were a cornerstone of U.S. policy, both for the Biden administration and the Trump administration.

  Today, there is not just no chance for Saudi Arabia to join the Abrahamic Accords because of this action, but even Gulf countries who have joined, like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, are today, I think, revisiting their stand. The UAE president was in Qatar today. And, as I said, the whole issue of whether Israel regards peace as a priority is being seriously questioned in the region.

• Geoff Bennett:

  The Qatari prime minister in an interview with CNN today, he called the Israeli attack an act of state terror and said that Qatar is reassessing everything about its mediating role.

  Looking ahead, what are the long-term consequences if that country, which is one of the few players willing to mediate between Hamas and Israel, if they back away from their role? What's the impact on any sort of future regional peace effort?

• Marwan Muasher:

  I think it's very difficult to think today of Qatar resuming its mediation efforts, when it feels at risk that Israel is going to strike at the very negotiators that it is dealing with.

  But, beyond that, it is going to be very difficult for any country to step in and mediate the release of Israeli hostages. And so it has stark consequences on the region. Unfortunately, it has stark consequences on the Israeli hostages themselves. I think talking about peace in general today in the region is becoming very, very difficult with Israeli actions that are being taken without accountability.

  Since October 7, Geoff, at least five Arab countries were bombarded by Israel — Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Qatar, not to mention Iran, of course, which is not an Arab country, and Tunisia, and without accountability. Israel is clearly violating the U.N. Charter without any country in the world basically taking any action against it.

• Geoff Bennett:

  What does this episode reveal about the Trump administration's influence and leverage in the region?

• Marwan Muasher:

  Look, if the Trump administration has not been able to stop Israel from hitting a U.S. ally which has played a central role in releasing the vast majority of Israeli hostages, if the Trump administration is not able to implement its own priority in the region, which is expansion of the Abrahamic Accords, as I said, that says a lot about the Trump administration's ability to rein in its principle ally, Israel.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Of course, there's the other view, that Hamas could release the hostages, and that would bring about an end to this, to which you would say what?

• Marwan Muasher:

  The deal on the table is that Hamas has said it repeatedly. It is ready to release all the hostages in return for an end of the war on Gaza.

  But what it is being presented with is, release all the hostages, then we will come back and kill you and hit back at you. And without agreeing with what Hamas did in October 7, it is not something that Hamas obviously is ready to accept. I think Hamas has indicated repeatedly its willingness to release all the hostages.

  But, in return, the war on Gaza needs to stop; 65,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed so far, with no end in sight.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Marwan Muasher, thank you for your perspective this evening. We appreciate it.

• Marwan Muasher:

  Thank you.