By Mohamed Harees –

Lukman Harees

“The Flock of Sheep Seeking Protection From the ‘Wolf'” is a metaphorical concept that highlights the deceptive nature of threats, suggesting that the true danger often comes from a trusted protector (the “shepherd”) rather than an obvious one (the “wolf”). It serves as a cautionary reminder to be discerning and not place blind trust in leaders or those who promise safety. Well, if the shepherd is both the Wolf and the Human! The mythical ‘Werewolf’! Adolf Hitler believed in the creature and wrote about it in his ‘Mein Kampf’ – “The man born as a wolf always remains a wolf.” The Third Reich was fascinated by the occult, and myths persisted of a werewolf army in Nazi circles! Very ironic indeed, applied to  the US acting as a ‘werewolf’ turning a blind eye, during Israel’s audacious strike in Qatar on September 9. As the UN put it, “a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world.”

For the small yet wealthy Gulf State, the US airbase served as a shield, since it believed that no one could seriously attack it due to the US military assets and personnel stationed there. For decades, Qatar, like the rest of the Gulf, thought that a closer relationship with the US would ensure its security. However, this assumption failed to consider that its satellite state, Israel, might attack any country at will; this time Qatar, targeting Hamas negotiators, given both Israel and the US were allies. (even partners in crime in Gaza, as seen now engaging in war crimes and genocide). Consequently, the Israeli attack on Doha caused the submissive Arab leaders, who relied so heavily on the US as their protector, to react with shock, like deer caught in headlights.

Qatar’s compact size and substantial wealth position it as an unparalleled global hub for dialogue and diplomacy. Its reputation as a secure and neutral meeting place attracts rivals and world leaders alike, especially when other venues are unavailable or unsuitable for any of the parties involved. If even Qatar cannot assure safety to those involved in negotiations, other groups and governments might start doubting the worth of such mediation entirely. The strike in Doha undermines this carefully cultivated image. The attack shows how the boundary between war and negotiation has become increasingly blurred – with military actions now directly disrupting peace efforts.

Equally significant is the impact on sovereignty. International law makes it clear that using force inside another country’s borders without permission is a breach of that country’s sovereignty. This principle is a cornerstone of international relations, designed to protect weaker states from the actions of stronger ones. Israel’s brazen attack in Qatar on September 9 is one more tangible sign that Netanyahu has scant regard for international law, discarding diplomacy in favour of exercising force (with or without US blessings), in hot pursuit of his illusory goal of flexing its muscle in the entire ME region, crushing the Arab morale in the process. Israel showed less interest in regional integration and was keener to establish its fortress through military intervention wherever it chose to strike. While global condemnation of the Doha attack may console the Qatari hearts, it will not erase the nascent feeling of insecurity arising out of the US’s inability to act upon or indifference shown towards its security commitments to the Gulf State, in return for its hosting the biggest base in the Middle East.

Israel played the same playbook it did in Iran recently, by attacking the Hamas team, meeting in Doha to discuss the US-initiated ceasefire proposal. Israel has been given carte blanche to do what it wants, for example, with respect to the “Gaza Riviera” plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians and forcibly resettle them in Jordan and Egypt. ‘There were reports that the US knew about the attack. While Israeli media suggests the US gave the green light, US outlets have reported that Donald Trump was unhappy and in the dark about it. Although the US reassured Qatar, it won’t happen again; however, Israeli officials have already warned that there will be more such attempts, worrying other regional powers- Turkey and Egypt. Netanyahu, brazenly defending the strike amid mounting international criticism, warned Qatar that either it must “expel” Hamas members or “bring them to justice, because if you don’t, we will”. This raises apt questions about the credibility of the US as the region’s security overlord, in its failure to defend its allies and keep Israel in line, in which context, the Gulf states’ dependence on the US needs rethinking, thanks to Israeli intransigence.

However, as Arab analysts say, to find a regional consensus may be limited by competing domestic interests among Gulf states that remain wary of jeopardising their relationship with the US under a Trump administration that has been Israel’s biggest backer. Gulf states thus realise that they’re not particularly well equipped to address the threat posed by Israel, because their national security is predicated on the defence partnership with the US, which has an explicit foreign defence policy giving Israel a qualitative military edge.”

It was in this context, the much hyped emergency summit, Arab and Muslim leaders hosted by Qatar this week on Monday becomes relevant. Once again, it became a talking shop, with the Arab leaders merely venting their outrage at Israel for carrying out an airstrike last week in Qatar that targeted Hamas officials, but they failed to agree on any punitive measures to take in response. Several leaders called on each other to move beyond rhetoric and take tangible action in response to the attack. However, according to military analysts, a military response from the Arab Gulf rulers was not likely, as further escalation could harm their domestic agendas, and also given their near-total dependence on military support from Israel’s partner in crime, the US.

They only discussed other options — like downgrading diplomatic and trade ties with Israel. Even the call for States to review their ties with Israel was nonbinding. As the Arab League stated, “It is not a mandatory or binding paragraph, but rather one that opens the door for member states, whether in the Arab League or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to take such measures if they wish and if they see them as important and necessary.” Thus. the final watered-down communiqué issued at the end of the summit merely called only for states to take all possible “legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.” It also called on states to “review diplomatic and economic relations” and “initiate legal proceedings” against Israel, but did not say any of them had committed to doing so.

The fact that no specific actions that punish Israel for its heinous and genocidal actions in Gaza, and also for its deliberately treacherous attack on Qatar, were decided upon, speaks of the feebleness of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) despite their numerical and economic strength, likened to a flock of sheep. Without concrete measures, Israel is unlikely to take the Arab League’s statements seriously. The statements were designed to increase the strength of the tone, but nothing really fundamental was different in the end. So, the Arab reliance on the US Werewolf for protection continues. At the same time, the Israeli impunity continues to remain unpunished, under a totally ineffective international law and a world order decided by the maxim ‘Might is Right’! Qatar’s announcement that it has formed a legal team to pursue accountability against Netanyahu personally for this action is a good move. Still, it appears to be on the premise of treating the strike as the product of Netanyahu rather than a structural Israeli strategy.

Thus, the Qatar strike represents another chapter in what appears to be a growing pattern of American allies feeling abandoned. For the Gulf states, the Qatar incident reinforces troubling questions about American reliability. If Washington cannot — or does not want to — prevent or meaningfully respond to attacks on close allies that host major US military installations, what protection can Gulf monarchies realistically expect? Will the Doha strike serve as an uncomfortable wake-up call for these Arab states about the implications of Israel’s increasingly dominant regional position?

The Arab leaders need to question whether Israel’s emerging hegemonic status, which acts with total impunity with US support, actually makes them more vulnerable rather than more secure, as some hoped via the Abrahamic Accords. Shamefully. the most logical response — namely, enhancing indigenous military capabilities to deter future Israeli operations — appears largely unfeasible. As the Qatar incident demonstrated, no Arab state currently possesses the defensive systems or retaliatory capacity to threaten Israeli forces credibly. Qatar, despite hosting sophisticated US military assets, could only condemn the attack diplomatically. The Qatar strike should open the eyes of the Arab states and discontinue their traditional preference for a weakened Iran, and go for a united front in the Middle East. Should Israel contemplate future operations aimed at Iran’s complete elimination, particularly through renewed military strikes, Arab states should not be supportive, as they have been in the past. The Arab world, sadly, is still feeling that this strike proves to be an isolated incident driven by Netanyahu, rather than the beginning of a broader recalibration of Middle Eastern geopolitics, where Israeli hegemony outweighs traditional concerns about Iranian influence.

Analysts say, ‘Gulf states haven’t previously significantly participated in proceedings against Israel at international courts, and that should change. Gulf states so far have not played a key role in supporting these efforts, politically or financially. Gulf states could collectively decide to join those cases. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Centre, said Gulf Arab countries could resort to activating and expanding the “Peninsula Shield Force” – a 1980s-era military pact intended to deter attacks on their nations. “These clauses have so far been theoretical, but now they could activate them by creating a unified Gulf command, integrating air and missile defence systems, building a more independent, ingenious capability.” Besides, there is the economic strength too. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar collectively pledged to invest around three trillion dollars in the US economy when Trump visited the region. Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain, says, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE could utilise their vast sovereign wealth funds to impose trade limitations on Israel. “They could decide to use their funds to boycott companies that have significant stakes in the Israeli economy.”

The creation of Israel in 1948 and subsequent Arab Israeli conflicts, along with the rise of pan-Islamic sentiment, necessitated a collective platform for Muslim countries to address their concerns. However, the lack of strong enforcement mechanisms for resolutions limits the OIC’s ability to ensure compliance among member states. While the OIC issues resolutions and declarations on various issues, these are non-binding, limiting its capacity for enforcement action. Moving forward, the OIC must prioritise putting its act together, fostering greater unity among member states, as internal disagreements on key issues, such as response to conflicts or prioritisation of certain agendas, appear to undermine its credibility and diminish its influence. Thus, the suggestions during the Doha Summit, made by Pakistan to form a combined security force or by Iran to sever the ties with Israel, appear to be only wishful thinking, given the pathetic, divisive state of the Arab and the Muslim world, when responding to the expanding Israeli aggression towards its elusive goal of Greater Israel comes into play.

As the images of shattered buildings and billowing smoke amid a livestreamed Genocide taking place in Gaza, the IOC and the Arab League’s failure to stand up to Israel’s impunity and arrogance makes them complicit, when many countries, including in the West, are taking concrete measures to sanction the Rogue State of Israel in this regard. Until it runs up against firm international resistance, Israel will not cease in its campaign to both militarily re-engineer the entire region, and rapidly erase the Palestinian people from their land.