The Israeli Strike in Doha Undermines America’s Credibility
Daoud Kuttab: Palestinian journalist and General Director of the Community Media Network in Jordan.
It is unclear whether the United States was aware of the Israeli airstrike on Hamas negotiators in the Qatari capital, Doha, or to what extent it was informed. However, there is no longer any doubt that Israel has granted itself absolute freedom of action. After decades of enjoying impunity for its violations of international law and norms, it no longer hesitates to do as it pleases. Regardless of the individual victims, the main casualty of Israel’s escalation is the credibility of the United States.
Israel, benefiting from billions of dollars in annual U.S. aid, celebrated the strike openly. Even Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition and a fierce rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, publicly congratulated the “Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet security service, and all security forces on an exceptional operation to thwart our enemies.”
As Israel roams the region uninhibited, bombing countries at will, America’s influence diminishes. Its credibility has not been this eroded since the Iraq invasion. The most concerning aspect of the Doha strike was its target: Israel aimed to assassinate negotiators who were meeting to discuss a U.S.-proposed ceasefire. Thus, not only were the ceasefire talks disrupted, but America’s word was also tarnished.
There is a precedent for Israel targeting negotiators. In Jerusalem, 77 years ago, the United Nations peace mediator, Swedish diplomat Folke Bernadotte, was killed by Jewish extremists acting under the authority of Yitzhak Shamir, among others. Shamir later became Prime Minister of Israel and appointed Netanyahu as his spokesperson. While violence against peace envoys is not new, it is always damaging.
Meanwhile, Palestinians have repeatedly watched the U.S. shield Israel from accountability. Successive U.S. administrations, including those of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, have turned a blind eye to Israel’s bombings of hospitals and targeting of journalists and relief workers in Gaza. They have ignored Israel’s violation of ceasefires and its blockade and starvation of the region. They even punished Palestinians by closing their diplomatic mission in Washington and refusing to grant visas to Palestinian officials invited to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The now-canceled U.S. ceasefire proposal was biased in favor of Israel. It called for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages on the first day, in exchange for the U.S. guarantee to pressure Israel to withdraw from Gaza and end the war. Clearly, Israel had other intentions. By killing negotiators, it destroyed the only available means to bring its citizens home safely.
Moreover, Israeli assassination policies have never succeeded in ending resistance. Israel has killed one Hamas leader after another, only to be replaced by new figures—often more radical. This is precisely what occurred after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, in 2024, violating the sovereignty of another UN member state, Iran.
America’s credibility in proposing ceasefires depended solely on its belief in its ability to uphold agreements. However, its lack of control over its Israeli ally has now been exposed. By targeting Hamas negotiators who were evaluating the credibility of U.S. guarantees, Israel closed the door on this proposal and any future deal. This is likely what Netanyahu intended. He is internationally wanted for war crimes and has been convicted in Israel on corruption charges; he seems to have concluded that ending the war would also end his political career.
Once trust collapses, it is challenging to restore. Qatar, home to the largest U.S. military base in the region, has suspended its mediating role. If the U.S. and its regional allies can no longer mediate, then no one can. There is no other power with the necessary leverage to negotiate a deal that Netanyahu opposes.
Given his strained and often untruthful relationship with reality, Trump may believe that credibility does not matter. But in the peace-making process in the Middle East, it is everything. Without it, negotiations will collapse before they even begin. The Trump administration is now learning a harsh lesson in real time. U.S. influence is rapidly waning, not just in Gaza but globally, as evidenced by the embarrassing failure to end the war in Ukraine since “day one.”
As former American President Ronald Reagan recognized, the road to a deal with an adversary requires “trust, but verify.” But with Trump and Netanyahu, there can be no trust. The only way forward is through concrete actions: a complete and verifiable withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners (many held indefinitely without charges). Anything less will be considered empty words.
Israel and its American backer have dug themselves a deep hole. Getting out will require more than mere rhetoric. It will demand verifiable actions, as trust in America has vanished in this conflict.
