Qatar summit: Can Arab solidarity curb various violations in the Arab East?

By Christine Hanna Nasr

It has become clear that the Israeli conflict with Hamas in Gaza has expanded geographically, extending to an infringement of Qatar’s sovereignty after Israeli aircraft struck a residential area housing a Hamas office in Doha. The strike killed several members of the movement. This attack constitutes a blatant breach of Qatari sovereignty, undermining Qatar’s strategic role among Arab states and affecting its pivotal mediation efforts to resolve the Hamas‑Israel crisis.

In response to this Israeli strike, Arab and Islamic states moved in unified action to denounce the assault on a Hamas headquarters, expressing solidarity with Qatar. An emergency Arab‑Islamic summit convened in Doha under the banner of support for Qatar, represented by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and aimed at protecting Arab and Islamic security. The summit’s core message condemned Israel’s breach of Qatari sovereignty and its airstrike on the Hamas office — an act viewed as a violation of international law — and reflected coordinated Arab and Islamic solidarity.

Ahead of the summit in Doha and during its preparatory meeting, the heads of government and foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic states, including Jordan’s foreign minister, stated that the Israeli attack and violation of Qatari sovereignty represented a clear escalation that threatens regional and global stability and jeopardizes shared Arab security. They affirmed that protecting Qatar is an integral part of safeguarding Arab security.

The summit came at a sensitive time amid severe regional strains: the war between Israel and Hamas following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the ensuing developments that have worsened conditions in the West Bank and across the Arab East. The situation in Syria remains fragile following decades under the Baath regime led by Bashar al‑Assad and now amid a sensitive transitional phase under a provisional administration, with political, military and economic instability — including Israeli incursions into southern Syria and the presence of a Turkish‑backed Syrian National Army in the south, raising the risk of confrontation. Lebanon is also tense following an Israeli strike that targeted Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the former secretary‑general of Hezbollah, which resulted in his death, and amid Beirut’s current efforts to centralize weapons under the state and the Lebanese army. Iraq, too, is in a sensitive phase, with the current government maintaining close ties to Iran, which supports militias still present on Iraqi soil, and with recent withdrawals of US forces from some bases there.

For all these reasons, as an observer and analyst of the region, I insist that this summit carries delicate importance at this complex juncture. Given the attendance of most Arab heads of state and foreign ministers, its outcomes will inevitably affect the future, security and stability of the region — including the Palestinian‑Israeli conflict — as well as the already volatile Mashriq. Consequently, the summit’s final statements stressed that the Israeli targeting of Qatar threatens regional and international stability and called for a serious, practical and unified Arab and Islamic stance. The central question is whether the summit and its declarations will move beyond customary condemnations and rhetoric to adopt a robust, actionable position in defense of Qatar. Will Arab and Islamic states take urgent practical measures to implement the unified decisions announced at the Doha meeting, and will those commitments be translated into tangible actions that can curb Israeli policies in the Arab world? Ultimately, are these summits intended to truly enhance security and stability in the Mashriq?

The most pressing question is whether Arab leaders at the summit can present a united, practical stance that goes beyond the routine political condemnations of previous Arab summits and succeed in halting Israeli aggression in the region. Can the summit’s outcomes effectively restrain and stop Israeli attacks? Will they succeed in isolating Israel in the Arab world and weakening Israeli influence not only regionally but also globally, including its close ties with the United States and European states? Can the Doha summit raise condemnations to a level that translates into an actual military response against Israel, or will it remain limited to media statements and rhetorical denunciations without decisive, enforceable measures? In particular, how will member states address the recent Israeli attack on Doha, the incursions into southern Syria and the violation of Syrian territory without resistance from some armed actors, the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the urgent need for aid — which Jordan has continuously provided, with King Abdullah II personally overseeing deliveries by the Royal Jordanian Air Force?

These recent political and military developments will inevitably intensify mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel to end the Gaza conflict and will affect negotiations over prisoner releases. They will also impact diplomatic efforts to prevent the failure of talks aimed at a peaceful settlement and reconciliation between Hamas and Israel — a peace that would bring stability to an already inflamed region. I believe the Israeli breach of Qatar’s sovereignty also threatens the future of past and prospective peace agreements.

This context underscores Jordan’s steadfast position in support of its Arab brothers. In his historic speech at the Doha summit, His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan reaffirmed Jordan’s firm stance, offered condolences to his brother Sheikh Tamim, and condemned the Israeli aggression, calling it an escalatory step with grave regional consequences. The King’s remarks conveyed a message of full support for Qatar and a commitment to provide all capabilities to face this aggression. Jordan stands with Qatar: Qatar’s security is integral to Jordan’s own security. Jordan also plays a central role on Middle East issues, including the Palestinian file and the Syrian dossier, both before and during the current transitional phase.

In connection with the Doha summit, Qatar has called on the UN body responsible for human rights and counter‑terrorism to issue a clear and strong condemnation of the Israeli attack on Doha, where the Hamas office was struck and a Qatari citizen and a Palestinian member of Hamas were killed. Doha has also demanded that Israeli violations be documented and that Israel be held accountable.