Tense call between Netanyahu and Trump after initial “friendly” call — how has Washington shifted its tone?
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
The Wall Street Journal quoted US administration officials as saying President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his decision to target Hamas inside Qatar was not a wise one.
According to the newspaper, Trump made the remarks during what it described as a sharp phone call on Tuesday after the attack.
The US paper said Netanyahu replied that “the window to launch the strikes was short and he seized it”.
It added that a second call took place between them later on Tuesday evening and was friendly, with Trump asking Netanyahu whether the attack had succeeded.
The paper quoted a US official saying Trump is increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu over his unilateral moves, adding that Trump was very angry “because he learned of the attack in Qatar from the Pentagon and not from Israel”.
The official added that Trump would prefer Netanyahu to ease the bombardment of Gaza City.
On Tuesday, Trump said the attack on the State of Qatar was a decision taken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “and not me”, adding that such a thing would not be repeated on Qatari soil.
In a post on the “Truth Social” platform, Trump said he had spoken with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and its prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and had confirmed that to them.
The US president said that “a unilateral attack on Qatar does not serve the interests of Israel or the United States, and that he feels great sadness over the decision Netanyahu made in this regard”.
He added that he “thanked the Emir of Qatar and its prime minister for their support and friendship to the United States, saying that Qatar works hard and bravely and takes risks with the American side to mediate peace”, adding that he had instructed his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to put the finishing touches on a defence cooperation agreement with Qatar.
Earlier, Trump said he had sent his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkof, to inform the Qatari side of the Israeli attack, but that the warning, he said, unfortunately came late.
For his part, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said that reports claiming Qatar was informed in advance of the Israeli attack on Doha were false.
The spokesman explained that “the call that came from an American official occurred while the sound of explosions from the Israeli attack in Doha was heard”.
