New York Meeting: An Effort to Overcome the Crisis and Rebuild Relation Between Doha and Tel Aviv

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Amidst the diplomatic twists and turns of the Middle East, an important event is taking shape. On Sunday, representatives from the United States, Israel, and Qatar will gather in New York to bridge the gaps caused by an unsuccessful Israeli attack in Doha.

This meeting is of great importance as it is the highest-level meeting between the three countries since the Gaza war ceasefire agreement, and it occurs just as the Trump administration is announcing the entry of the peace process into a new phase. Behind the scenes, Steve Witkoff, the White House envoy, is hosting this session. David Barnea, head of Mossad, will represent Israel, and a senior Qatari official will also be present. This composition indicates the depth of the parties' commitment to overcoming the crisis.

To better understand this event, we must look back. On September 9th, Israeli fighter jets, in an unprecedented move, targeted Hamas leaders in Doha. Senior Hamas leaders survived, but a Qatari security guard was killed. This incident sparked a wave of reactions; Qatar stepped back from its mediation role, Arab countries condemned the Netanyahu government, and pressure increased on the Trump administration to end the war.

Shortly after, Netanyahu, at the insistence of the White House and Trump, made a phone call to Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, and apologized to him. As a result of this phone call, the Qataris resumed mediation, but relations between Israel and Qatar, as two key partners of the US in the Middle East, remained cold and tense.

The US stepped forward by proposing the creation of a trilateral mechanism, establishing a tool to enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances, and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats. Sunday's meeting is the first gathering under this framework.

Netanyahu had previously announced that in this space, he would raise grievances such as Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, hostility towards Israel in Al Jazeera programs (which is funded by Qatar), and claims of supporting anti-Israeli sentiments in American universities. However, the main focus is expected to be on implementing the Gaza peace agreement, especially the disarmament of Hamas and sensitive issues in transitioning to the second phase of the agreement.

But the most intriguing part of this meeting is the political complexities within the Zionist regime. The relations of Netanyahu's governments with Qatar over the years have become a political bomb in Israel. According to revealed documents, from 2018 to 2023, Netanyahu asked Qatar to provide financial aid to Hamas to administer Gaza.

Following the leak, several close counselors of Netanyahu were investigated for allegedly receiving money from Qatar to improve the Gulf state's image in Israel and the world, even in the midst of the war. However, Qatar's foreign minister denied the allegations, insisting that the support provided by Qatar was not for Hamas but for the Palestinian people.

The New York meeting is, more than anything, an effort to manage the consequences of the Doha incident and return the mediation process to its main track. This gathering is an opportunity to examine mutual grievances and find a practical way to advance the Gaza peace agreement, an agreement whose implementation, due to the numerous obstructions by the Zionist regime, faces serious challenges.