Israel launches a stunning strike on Hamas leaders inside Qatar, and the fallout is global.
On this episode of “Israel Undiplomatic,” former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum, senior contributing editor at JNS—both former advisers at the Prime Minister’s Office—discuss Israel’s boldest move yet in its war on terror.
Days after a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem and amid failed hostage negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu authorized a precision airstrike targeting Hamas leadership living in luxury in Doha. Regev and Blum draw sharp historical parallels framing Israel’s operation as part of a long-standing doctrine: no sanctuary for terrorists, no matter where they hide.
But the political reverberations are fierce. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment over the strike’s location while reaffirming that Hamas must be destroyed. Washington seems to be distancing itself diplomatically, while critics across the Arab world and Europe have condemned the action.
Still, Regev and Blum argue that strength can bring peace, comparing Israel’s action to America’s response post-Sept. 11: one that is targeted, justified and necessary.
They also discuss:
- Why Qatar’s role as Hamas’s host and hostage “mediator” is a farce
- The moral clarity of Israel’s mission versus Western hypocrisy
- The possibility that the move might help free the hostages in Gaza
- How Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas form part of a global jihadist network that Israel is systematically dismantling
- The relevance of the 9/11 anniversary in understanding Israel’s war for survival
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