While Israel’s dastardly attack on the sovereignty of Qatar — an act seen by many as a brazen violation of international norms and an affront to a nation striving, often single-handedly, to avert further bloodshed in the region — it has also served to underscore Qatar’s singular, often perilous role as a bridge-builder in one of the world’s most combustible conflicts.
As Qatar continues to mediate between warring parties and push tirelessly for a ceasefire to end the devastating conflict triggered by Israel’s military onslaught, an extraordinary outpouring of solidarity has emerged from across continents. The chorus of support has reflected both condemnation of the Israeli attack and acknowledgement of Qatar’s pivotal diplomatic efforts.
Several European nations were quick to offer words of appreciation to Doha, emphasising that the world’s moral obligation is to protect and empower mediators, not punish them.
The United Kingdom praised Qatar for “keeping open channels of dialogue when others fall silent,” while France commended its “tireless humanitarian diplomacy in a theatre of unrelenting hostility.” Denmark hailed Qatar’s “indispensable role in facilitating humanitarian access,” and Slovenia called its mediation “a rare light in an otherwise darkened landscape.”
This wave of gratitude underscored that Qatar’s efforts are not peripheral, but central to any viable peace process.
Beyond appreciation, many states went further to highlight Qatar’s critical importance as a diplomatic fulcrum in the crisis.
From the Middle East and North Africa, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait and the UAE, lauded Qatar’s courage in holding together fragile negotiation tracks that have repeatedly teetered on collapse. Greece joined the chorus, calling Qatar “a steadying hand in turbulent waters.”
Global heavyweights such as the United States, Russia, China, and South Korea noted that Qatar’s neutral yet engaged posture has allowed it to talk to all sides when few others can.
Nations spanning diverse regions — Pakistan (which was one of the countries that convened the UN Security Council emergency session on Friday), Turkiye, Somalia, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Guyana — also underlined that Qatar has become the “indispensable intermediary” in a conflict with worldwide repercussions.
Their messages reflected a rare unanimity: that undermining Qatar, especially through acts of aggression on its soil, would imperil any prospect of ending the war.
A number of leaders and high-level delegations from the region and other parts of the world descended on Doha following the Israeli attack to express solidarity and support for Qatar. Amongst these included UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Jordan Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Dr Badr Abdel Aati.
His Highness the Amir also received calls of condemnation of Israeli attack and complete solidarity from dozens of world leaders. Similar calls were also made to Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani by his counterparts, deputy prime ministers and foreign ministers.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Qatar will host a preparatory meeting of foreign ministers for the emergency Arab-Islamic summit tomorrow (Sunday), followed by an emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the Israeli attack on Qatar, from September 14-15 in Doha.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani told CNN that Qatar hopes there will be a “collective response” from the region to the Israeli attack on Hamas in Doha. “There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region,” he stated.
