Double Game And $400 Million Betrayal Of Qatar, Trump Issues Rare Rebuke To Netanyahu Over Qatar Strikes
New Delhi : In the superhit film Pushpa: The Rise, there is a scene where Pushpa, played by Allu Arjun, kills the brother-in-law of a notorious smuggler while he requests him to spare his life on live call. A similar situation played out on Tuesday as Israel bombed Qatar to target Hamas leaders – an attack that Tel Aviv claimed had US President Donald Trump’s blessings.
Unfortunately, it was too late to stop the attack,” Trump said nonchalantly, while acknowledging that Israel had informed it of the strike. In fact, a White House official told The Times of Israel that the US was informed well in advance. However, the US’s warning to Qatar, deliberate or not, seemed to be too little, too late.
The fact the strikes occurred in Qatar, a close ally of the US that has worked to cultivate Trump, only contributed to the sense of betrayal. It also exposed the Nobel Peace Prize-obsessed Trump’s double game. The Israeli attack came as Hamas’s political leadership gathered in Doha to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza after Trump’s “last warning” to agree a deal.
The attack was not just a devastating blow to his international credibility, but also to his self-touted ambition of being a global peacemaker. Qatar reacted with fury, calling the attack reckless and cowardly. Qatar’s Foreign Minister went a step further, calling Israel’s attack “state terrorism”. “Qatar is mobilising all tools to respond to the attack beyond statements and condemnations,” he further said.
Just like India, Qatar also got a taste of Trump’s unpredictability in dealing with allies. It was just four months ago that Trump was gifted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet, dubbed a ‘flying palace’ worth $400 million, during his visit to Qatar – the first trip to the Gulf nation by a sitting US President.
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