–Israel’s attacks might signal Qatari success

Reporting and opinion by Mathew Carr

Sept. 16, 2025 — When I heard last week that Israel had used precision missile strikes to kill Hamas peace negotiators in a suburb of Doha, Qatar, I tried to think what it would be like to be an innocent person nearby.

I was thinking such a man or woman would be outraged, angry, seeking revenge and justice for what is probably against international law because it will be hard to argue it was done in self defence (almost two years after the Hamas attack).

I spoke to Doha resident Syed (not his real name) by phone to find out how it felt to have your human right to a peaceful existence ripped away from you….by a country Israel that had no legal right to be attacking anyone in Qatar that I can see.

Israel has shown extraordinary capacity for disproportionate brutality the past two years.

Syed was working in an office a few kilometres from the blasts, when the noise from them interrupted a conversation he was having with a colleague.

Muffled Thunder

The sound of the attack was like muffled thunder, Syed said, initially mistaking it for a local fire, perhaps a petrol-station explosion.

After hearing the blasts, both who had been in the conversation walked outside, to investigate.

“We walked outside, looking up at the sky, and, you know, asking some of the other passers by, people that came out of the building …what did they think it was?”

It wasn’t clear.

News of the attack began to break. Syed soon learned from messages on his phone it was an Israeli missile attack on Hamas peacemakers, which did shock him, especially given ongoing peace talks hosted by Qatar.

“It was like you are being backstabbed, in a way,” he said. Syed was reluctant to have his political views voiced, because it’s not the done thing in the region, even anonymously.

Overall, he described a calm response in Doha, with no public protests. He indicated he didn’t fear for his own life, or even his own safety, partly because of the strikes’ precision. He noted at least one innocent person died. Five others were reported dead.

USA behest

The peace talks were taking place in Doha at the behest of the USA. The air attacks were taking place at the behest of the USA. Palestinians are being forced away from their homes in Gaza this week by Israel, at the apparent behest of the USA, which includes billions of dollars of funding to the genocidal state during the past two years.

I can forcefully say that because the UN deemed today (Tuesday) that Israel HAS INDEED committed genocide in Gaza, according to its own commission.

Of course, not all the violence is from Israel.

Syed mentioned the June bombing by Iran of parts of Qatar as helping to underpin the Doha community’s resilience. Life continued pretty much as usual last week and this.

Some work was put on hold, yet Middle East residents are hardened to violence, he said.

Syed explained why Doha residents are perhaps less animated that if the brazen attacks had taken place in, say, London, UK.

Prophecies

Prophecies foretell of violence in parts of the Middle East, so that helps make Qataris resilient, he said.

Syed has lived through two Gulf wars and many people sat around and watched the violence in Afghanistan, during US occupation there.

“(Qataris) are not in shock and awe.”

Middle East violence is hardly uncommon, and while the onset of peace would be welcome, I don’t get the impression from news outfits, social media and from listening to locals and former residents over the past few years that people of the region expect any speedy resolution. But it would still be nice.

Shameful Inaction

It’s shameful the UN has not found a way to stop Israel from taking Gaza and from expanding in the West Bank, before now. The UN system clearly needs to be strengthened, yet the voices calling for this are not very loud.

Syed was more guarded, requesting I don’t publish some of his comments, even after I anonymized them. (The surveillance complex is very strong across the world, right now.)

“You know Gaza in front of you …Syria … Iraq ….Yemen. Could it get worse? That’s the thing. I mean … I could not say,” he said.

Most Surprising

Near the end of our conversation, Syed made his most surprising comments.

The missile strikes may demonstrate that Qatar’s efforts on peace are having some positive impact, so represent a threat to Israel’s strategy to take over Gaza.

For years, given it’s a relatively wealthy country, Qatar has tried to act as a peacemaker in the Middle East and in Africa; granted, with mixed results.

“You know, people try to bring people together to help to make the region a better place. That’s the role (Qatar) wants to play. And I think (Qatar is) going to continue to play that role. (Qatar is) not going to back down.”

Because the natural gas producer has demonstrated some success at peace, that’s why it attracts violence from people who apparently want killing to continue.

Such events as last week’s potentially illegal strikes “maybe will even make (Qataris) stronger. However badly I’m attacked, I know that what I’m doing is right. Otherwise …why would I be attacked? Why would somebody have this reaction, unless I’m doing the right thing?”

(More to come)

WordPress AI (to be sure, “Syed” was not this close to the building, as illustrated by this AI)