This frame grab taken from an AFPTV footage shows smoke billowing after explosions in Doha's capital Qatar on September 9, 2025. (Photo by Jacqueline Penney / AFPTV / AFP)
Amman: Jordanian politicians and academics affirmed that Israel’s attack on Qatar constitutes a blatant violation of international law and diplomatic and political norms. They stressed that such an assault cannot be justified under any circumstances and that targeting Doha represents a dangerous precedent requiring a firm Arab and international response.
Former Jordanian Minister of Information Samih Al Maaytah strongly condemned the Israeli strike, describing it as a brutal assault on a sovereign Arab state and warning that it represents a serious precedent in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
He noted that Jordan’s position was clear from the outset, when King Abdullah II stated that Qatar’s security is part of Jordan’s own security, reflecting Amman’s consistent stance in supporting Arab partners and rejecting attacks on Arab states.
Al Maaytah added that Israel’s bombardment of Doha marks a qualitative shift in its policy, moving from targeting direct conflict zones in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria to widening its aggression against Arab capitals actively involved in the Palestinian file, foremost among them Qatar. He added that Israel has never shown genuine interest in negotiating with Hamas, instead treating ceasefires and prisoner exchange deals as temporary measures imposed by US pressure. He added that Israel repeatedly avoided advancing political tracks and refused to implement the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which included important political provisions.
He stressed that the strike on Doha cannot be viewed in isolation but rather as part of a broader strategic approach aimed at dismantling the Palestinian cause through Gaza, by weakening resistance, depopulating the enclave, systematically destroying its infrastructure, and tightening the blockade. He warned that this escalation could later open the door to negotiations under harsher terms designed to eliminate Hamas from the political and military landscape and reshape Gaza according to Israel’s vision, backed by continued US support.
For his part, Dr. Jamal Al Shalabi, Professor of Political Science at Hashemite University and Director of the International Relations Group at the Royal Jordanian National Defense College, said the Israeli strike on Doha was a serious breach of international law and diplomatic norms, stressing that it cannot be justified. He said the attack amounts to an assault on every free state in the world, especially since Qatar played a decisive role in mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza and sought to alleviate humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave. He argued that such reckless behavior by the Israeli entity requires a unified and forceful Arab, Islamic, and international response, warning that silence or complacency could embolden Israel to carry out similar attacks in other capitals.
Meanwhile, Jordanian political analyst Basel Al Ibrahim viewed the aggression as opening the door to a new strategic shift in Israel’s military approach, one that extends beyond conflict zones to include sovereign Arab capitals. He added that the Israeli strike had no legal or moral basis and was a direct violation of the UN Charter and the principles of national sovereignty. According to him, targeting Doha carried greater political symbolism than that of a conventional military operation.
Al Ibrahim said that the messages behind the strike were multiple: directed at Qatar for its mediation role between Hamas and Israel, and also as a veiled warning to other Gulf states should they adopt positions similar to Doha’s. He further said that the attack could be part of a joint US-Israeli effort to re-engineer the regional balance of power after failing to achieve a decisive outcome in Gaza.
