The White House on Wednesday published an executive order from US President Donald Trump instructing the government to view any armed attack on Qatar as “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”
The order, a notable American commitment to ensure the security of an Arab state, came some three weeks after an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha prompted criticism from Trump and outrage from the Qataris. Several lower-level members of the Palestinian terrorist group and a Qatari guard were killed in the attack, which failed to kill the key Hamas leaders it was targeting.
Trump subsequently promised that such an attack would not recur, and this week persuaded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize to his Qatari counterpart for the strike and promise not to do so again.
The executive order was issued as part of the formulation for Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, a proposal that Doha has praised and Netanyahu said he accepted.
The order, which was signed Monday, indicated that the US will respond harshly to any future attack on Qatar
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” the order declares.
Senior US officials will “ensure a rapid and coordinated response to any foreign aggression against the State of Qatar,” the order adds.
The US has a major airbase on Qatari territory, which was attacked by Iran earlier this year in retaliation for the American strikes on its nuclear program.
Qatar has also served as a mediator in the Gaza war but refused to continue doing so following the Israeli strike on the Gulf state, which has long hosted Hamas’s political leaders and has close links to the terror organization.
“The secretary of state shall continue to partner with the state of Qatar as and when appropriate for conflict resolution and mediation in recognition of the state of Qatar‘s extensive diplomatic and mediation experience,” declares the executive order signed by Trump.
Agencies contributed to this report.