Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation with the head of the government of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al Thani, on September 28. In it, he apologized for the death of a Qatari security service officer as a result of an Israeli strike on the territory of Doha on September 9. This was reported by the American publication Axios, citing three high-ranking official sources in Israel.
Interestingly, neither Israel nor Qatar's governments made an official public statement about this incident. Therefore, this news caused an unnecessary sensation and various speculations.
Axios writes that "apologizing" was set as the main condition for Qatar's return to the mediation process. It is known that the Doha government is the main Arab mediator in negotiations to stop the ongoing armed conflict in Gaza and to release hostages.
Netanyahu's call was made during his official visit to Washington. According to US officials and Israeli sources, if Qatar's mediation is not restored, the chances of reaching an agreement will be very low. Therefore, the apology step is becoming crucial in the diplomatic process.
According to reports, the strike on September 9th was mainly aimed at Hamas leaders. However, lower-level officials were killed, including a representative of the Qatari security service. The Israeli side defends the attack by claiming it was carried out against "high-ranking terrorists." However, along with the policy of war, he is forced to admit that this movement caused a serious crisis in the diplomatic arena.
A number of Arab states strongly criticized Israel's practice and assessed it as a violation of international norms. The fact that this event further complicated relations in the region is now evident to all parties.
Following Netanyahu's visit to the US and his meeting with President Donald Trump, the importance of negotiations has increased. The White House itself is reportedly seeking to announce a comprehensive agreement to end the war in the coming days. Trump expressed hope that he would announce the latest update to the public.
In this sense, Israel's apology to Qatar can serve not only to soften relations between the two countries, but also to ease the current tense diplomatic situation and pave the way for negotiations.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
