Haaretz: The failed attack on Doha shatters the illusion that Israel can do whatever it wants

Israeli writer Amos Harel revealed that the survival of Hamas leaders in the attack on them in the Qatari capital, Doha, and Qatar’s efforts to take immediate action against Israel confirm that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has miserably failed to restore Israel’s strength and deterrence capabilities.

Harel added in his article in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper that Netanyahu dislikes hearing the word “strategy,” and he makes no secret of this, even in his discussions with security chiefs, where he has often expressed his disdain for the term.

He emphasized that Netanyahu has had two main goals throughout his political career: preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb and thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

But everything changed since his corruption trial began in 2020.

He set a new, top-of-the-line goal: to remain prime minister at all costs, the author explains.

Harel continued that several foreign guests met with Netanyahu following the October 7, 2023, attack and were surprised to encounter the ghost of a pale, frightened man, fearing he would be thrown out of his home with stones and sticks because of his responsibility for not averting the attack despite warnings from the security services.

He continued that Netanyahu quickly recovered from that state and developed new tactics to remain in power, noting that immediately after the war with Iran, one of his close associates was quoted as saying that everyone in Israel would have forgotten the October 7 disaster by the time of the next elections.

Harel recalled that after the failed assassination attempt on Hamas leaders in Doha, a Netanyahu spokesperson mocked the criticism directed at the prime minister, saying that the critics were merely “petty opponents who refuse to see the big picture: Netanyahu has restored Israel’s strength and deterrence, and all our neighbors in the Middle East are watching with fear”.

But the irony, Harel continues, is that it has become clear that things did not go as the Prime Minister’s Office had hoped, and that the image of Israel as always capable of using force as it sees fit without restrictions has proven to be an illusion.

He added that all of this demonstrates that the war on Gaza shouldn’t have continued until close to the second anniversary of its outbreak, as Israel had numerous opportunities to end the war through an agreement that would have proven what it wanted.

But Netanyahu has always chosen the opposite, Amos Harel continues, because war and chaos serve his interests, ensuring the stability of his government, which is built on an unholy alliance he has formed with the far-right parties in the Knesset.

Separately, the funeral of the casualties of the unprecedented Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings in Doha last Tuesday was held after the afternoon prayer on Thursday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The funeral was attended by the country’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

On Tuesday, Israel targeted residential buildings in Doha housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas with a missile attack.

However, the movement said that its senior officials survived, while five of its members were killed: Humam, the son of the movement’s chief negotiator, Khalil al Hayya; his office director, Jihad Labbad; and his companions, Ahmed Mamlouk, Abdullah Abdul Wahid, and Moamen Hassoun.

A member of the Qatari security forces, Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al Humaidi al Dosari, a member of the Qatari Internal Security Force, was also killed in the attack.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, “I’ve no words to express how outraged we are by this Israeli attack, which was an act of state terrorism”.

He explained that Netanyahu is trying to give legal lectures while he himself is violating international law and starving the Gaza Strip, stressing that Netanyahu must be brought to justice, as he is already wanted by the International Criminal Court.

He pointed out that Netanyahu is threatening other countries in the region, which have never posed a threat to him.

He emphasized that a response from the region is being discussed with partners, expressing his hope that this response will be real and capable of halting Israel’s bullying.