12 September 2025 | 11:50 CAT
2-minute read

Israel’s recent attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar has triggered a wave of diplomatic and public pressure, signalling what analysts describe as a potential turning point in the country’s international standing.

Speaking on Radio Islam International’s Middle East Report, veteran analyst James Dorsey called the operation “a watershed in which the international community starts to respond in a real way, not only with words to Israel’s actions.” The 3 September airstrike failed to kill senior Hamas figures, and galvanised condemnation abroad.

“Israel clearly assumed with its attack on Qatar that it could get away with almost anything—or in fact everything,” Dorsey said. “How the United States, how Europe and how the Gulf responds… is going to determine whether or not Israel’s bluff game is going to work.”

For the first time since the Gaza war began in late 2023, the United States backed a United Nations Security Council statement criticising Israel’s actions. In Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—previously one of Israel’s staunchest supporters—has urged consideration of sanctions and a partial suspension of the EU–Israel trade agreement. According to EU trade statistics, the bloc is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 30% of its weapons acquisitions, compared to roughly 70% from the United States.

Dorsey highlighted the growing pressure.

“You’re seeing mass protests that have been quite sustained in western capitals. You’re seeing consumer boycotts. You’re seeing some companies… in Japan which are limiting their interaction with Israel.”

In cities such as London, Paris and Berlin, weekly demonstrations have drawn tens of thousands, echoing earlier global protests against Israel’s prolonged military campaign in Gaza.

The failed operation coincided with an emergency Arab and Islamic summit in Doha, where regional leaders debated Israel’s expanding strikes—including a subsequent attack on Yemen’s capital Sana’a, which Israel said targeted Houthi missile sites. Analysts believe the Yemen strike was partly aimed at distracting from the Qatar failure. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Turkey and Iran of similar action if Hamas leaders are not expelled or prosecuted.

Beyond immediate tensions, Washington and Israel are quietly discussing a new security arrangement. The current ten-year, $38 billion US military aid memorandum, signed in 2016, expires in 2028. A proposal circulating in US policy circles would gradually reduce direct aid while deepening strategic partnership and obliging Israel to buy exclusively American weaponry.

“The new proposition… would turn or transfer Israel from a security recipient to a full-fledged strategic partner of the United States,” Dorsey explained.

Israel’s action comes amid its devastating genocide in Gaza. Humanitarian agencies report Gaza’s civilian death toll has surpassed 40 000, fuelling a global movement for sanctions and accountability.

Watch the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Habib Bobat.