Israel’s airstrike against Hamas leaders in Doha on 9 September was met with widespread international condemnation, with even its key backers in the US expressing concern. But in a year in which regional red lines have been shredded, Israel looks unlikely to face any significant repercussions.
The attack is yet another unwelcome landmark for the GCC states, exposing weaknesses in their longstanding strategic assumptions. A basic pillar of their geopolitical positioning for decades has been that the US would act as a security guarantor in exchange for reliable oil and gas supplies and investment commitments from the GCC’s petrostates. (CONTINUED - 1119 WORDS)
