Last Tuesday’s Israeli air strike on Doha, Qatar, which took the lives of several Hamas leaders, and Russia’s drone incursion into Polish airspace on Wednesday represent bold actions by both nations. One was an act of defense and one was an act of aggression.
Time is running out on Trump’s willingness to allow Russia to escape further sanctions.
A few weeks after the 9-11 attacks, the UN Security Council made a resolution numbered 1373. It provides that every UN member nation would criminalize the funding of terrorist organizations and would:
(a) Refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists;
(b) Take the necessary steps to prevent the commission of terrorist acts, including by provision of early warning to other States by exchange of information;
(c) Deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist acts, or provide safe havens; [and]
(d) Prevent those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist acts from using their respective territories for those purposes against other States or their citizens.
UN Security Council Resolutions are supposed to have the force and effect of international law, but they are mostly ignored. Qatar has been violating the terms of Resolution 1373 for more than a decade. It has funded, supported, and provided a safe haven for Hamas leaders for all that time.
Israel struck at the Hamas leadership with air-launched ballistic missiles that were purportedly timed to not let the U.S. object. When the U.S. learned of the attack, our warning to the Qataris came after the missiles had struck their targets.
Unfortunately, the Israeli strike didn’t kill the top two leaders of Hamas.
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised to kill the Hamas leaders wherever they may be. President Trump, on the other hand, wrote, “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, doesn’t advance Israel or America’s goals.” That sounded more like Joe Biden than Donald Trump.
Trump has a problem with Qatar. He knows they are aiding and harboring terrorists who are allies of Iran. But our Al-Udeid airbase is located near Doha, Qatar and is shared by UK and Qatari forces. It is a strategic asset in the Middle East and Trump cannot easily relocate it.
The U.S. warning to the Qataris of the Israeli attack on Doha may have been intentionally delayed. That would be consistent with Trump’s position on the Israel-Hamas war. It’s highly unlikely that Israel would have attacked without giving the U.S. notice of the strike.
Israel has to kill the Hamas leaders and prevent Hamas from again taking control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas was elected to be Gaza’s government in 2006 and seized control of the entire strip in 2007. Instead of turning its efforts to making life better in Gaza, Hamas dug a huge network of tunnels and launched its infamous attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 hostages.
The resulting war has gone on for almost two years. Some 50 hostages are still held by Hamas and 20 are believed to still be alive. Israel’s attacks on Gaza City are aimed at recovering the hostages and finishing Hamas.
The Israeli attack on Qatar was entirely appropriate. The Qatari support of terrorists cannot go unpunished. The Russian incursion into Polish airspace is something else entirely.
Some 19 Russian drone aircraft violated Polish airspace on Wednesday. Most or all were shot down by a mix of NATO and Polish aircraft.
As a result of the incursion, Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO Treaty which requires consultations between the subject of the aggression and all other NATO members.
On Thursday, Trump said the Russian incursion could have been a mistake. That was directly contradicted by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who insisted that the incursion was intentional. He added on X, “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
The meetings between Polish officials and other NATO representatives began on Friday. About 10 thousand U.S. troops are stationed in Poland. They were not endangered by the Wednesday incursion although they could have been if the drones had reached their targets.
Let’s not forget that Russian President Putin has said that if NATO stationed troops in Ukraine, even as part of a peace plan, they would be a legitimate target for Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Russia has increased its attacks on Ukraine. On September 7, Russia launched its heaviest attacks on Ukraine since it invaded that country in February 2022. While Trump says that Russia wants peace in Ukraine, there is no sign that Putin wants anything short of the conquest of Ukraine.
President Trump announced that there would be no further sanctions on Russia while the NATO nations buy gas and oil from Russia. Trump is caught between uncooperative allies and Russia’s continuing aggression.
Time is running out on Trump’s willingness to allow Russia to escape further sanctions. If NATO doesn’t act, even in response to the Russian incursion into Polish airspace, he may have to impose sanctions without NATO cooperation.
The Israeli and Russian actions demonstrate determination in both nations. Israeli action should be applauded while Russian actions should stir Trump to impose further sanctions on Russia. There is no room to maneuver in either situation.
READ MORE from Jed Babbin: