Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed peacemaker who has campaigned for a Nobel Prize, finally got a camera-ready diplomatic victory on Monday as world leaders flew to Egypt for the signing of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas.&nbsp;But if lasting peace is to take root, analysts and diplomats say, Trump will have to maintain pressure on the man whose support he&#39;ll need in the next phases of his plan: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.&nbsp;US presidents from Bill Clinton to Joe Biden have found the strong-willed Israeli leader difficult to work with, and even Trump administration officials have been frustrated by some Israeli military strikes they see as undermining US policy.&nbsp;But this month, Trump managed to push Netanyahu into accepting his framework for a broader peace deal while persuading other Middle Eastern countries to convince Hamas to return all the Israeli hostages, its key leverage in the war.&nbsp;The work could get harder from here, however.&nbsp;Israel and Hamas remain sharply divided over many aspects of Trump&#39;s 20-point plan, and, as Israel prepares for next year&#39;s elections, Netanyahu&#39;s approach may shift as he attempts to keep his right-wing coalition together.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re entering a political year where everything is related to campaigns, and Netanyahu&#39;s calculations may flip from caving to pressure to trying to ensure his political survival,&quot; said Nimrod Goren, the president of Mitvim, an Israeli foreign policy think tank.&nbsp;The strength of Trump&#39;s peace plan, said the diplomats and analysts, is also its weakness.&nbsp;The document at the heart of the deal leaves much undefined, and neither side actually agreed to the fine print of each term. That vagueness was key to getting both sides to sign on, but it also means some of the most difficult diplomatic work is just beginning.&nbsp;Among the potential sticking points of Trump&#39;s peace plan is an agreement that Hamas disarm and play no role in Gaza&#39;s future administration. While Hamas agreed to Trump&#39;s plan generally, the group&#39;s official response made no mention of those specific terms, and Hamas leaders have indicated that they do, in fact, see a role for themselves in governing a post-war Gaza.&nbsp;&quot;There are any number of ways this could go sideways,&quot; said Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at Washington&#39;s Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former State Department official.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s hard to remember an international agreement that left so much to be worked out later.&quot;&nbsp;The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;A senior US official suggested that Trump had gained influence with Netanyahu in part by strongly supporting Israel on other important matters.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s first administration formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the disputed Golan Heights as part of the country, two things long sought by the Israeli government.&nbsp;&quot;One thing President Trump&#39;s done with Israel ... is that he&#39;s not trying to be a middle-of-the-roader,&quot; the US official said. &quot;He&#39;s basically stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel 100%. But because of that, he&#39;s been able to help guide them in the right direction.&quot;&nbsp;A sterner TrumpTrump has a mixed record when it comes to applying political pressure on Netanyahu.&nbsp;In July, Israel bombed the Syrian defense ministry in Damascus even as the US had made a point of expanding ties with the new Syrian government. The US president gave political cover in Gaza to Netanyahu for months amid mounting humanitarian concerns among European and Arab allies.&nbsp;But in recent weeks, a sterner Trump has emerged. He forced Netanyahu to call the leader of Qatar to apologize after a failed bombing raid targeting Hamas negotiators in that country in September. Ultimately, he muscled Netanyahu into signing onto his 20-point plan despite the Israeli leader&#39;s misgivings.&nbsp;At the moment, said Alterman, the Middle East expert, Trump can likely exert leverage over Netanyahu given the US president&#39;s significant popularity in Israel.&nbsp;&quot;Trump&#39;s greatest leverage is he&#39;s much more politically popular in Israel than Netanyahu,&quot; Alterman said, &quot;and he can either support Netanyahu&#39;s political future or sabotage it.&quot;&nbsp;At the speech before the Israeli parliament on Monday, Trump playfully poked at the Israeli leader in ways that indicated he did not feel the need to treat Netanyahu with special deference.&nbsp;&quot;Well, see, now you can be a little bit nicer, Bibi, because you&#39;re not at war anymore,&quot; Trump said to laughs.&nbsp;But next year&#39;s elections could change Netanyahu&#39;s political calculations in ways that are difficult to predict.&nbsp;Supporters of right-wing politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich could, in theory, threaten Netanyahu&#39;s governing coalition if they are sufficiently angered by the decision to halt military operations against Hamas.&nbsp;Analysts warn that foot-dragging by the Palestinian group over disarming could lead right-wing elements of the coalition to pressure Netanyahu to resume military operations in Gaza, effectively scuttling Trump&#39;s deal.&nbsp;&quot;We are troubled with the fact that Hamas still, today, declares it will stay in power in Gaza,&quot; Simcha Rothman, a member of the Religious Zionism party and of Netanyahu&#39;s governing coalition, told Reuters on Monday.&nbsp;&quot;We are not happy with any deal that is not a total surrender of Hamas ... We will not accept any partial victory.&quot;&nbsp;Another issue that could prove an irritant: a provision in the peace plan that admits the possibility of a future Palestinian state, which analysts say most Israelis would struggle to accept after Hamas&#39; cross-border attack of October 7, 2023.&nbsp;Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel, said that if government and opposition politicians&#39; campaign heavily against the creation of such a state, it could limit the willingness of Arab countries to push Hamas to fulfill its obligations under Trump&#39;s deal.&nbsp;&quot;That was a very important inclusion to get the support of the Arab states to do their part,&quot; Shapiro said.&nbsp;&quot;If the political discourse is a full-on rejection of a Palestinian state for all time, I think that could color the enthusiasm of the Arab parties to play the parts that they need to play.&quot;

Middle East

Secures a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, but analysts warn that vague terms, Netanyahu's political pressures, and Hamas' disarmament could jeopardize lasting peace.

Trump convinced Netanyahu to take a deal. Can he keep him onboard?

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LJUBLJANA: Slovenia on Thursday said it was banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the European Union country to underscore its defense of international law. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decision was linked to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Israeli prime minister, Foreign Ministry official Neva Grasic said, according to the official STA news agency. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The EU nation of some 2 million people, which recognized a Palestinian state last year, has been a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza and Thursday&rsquo;s move against Netanyahu was apparently designed to underscore the country&rsquo;s policies. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slovenia had already barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country and imposed an arms embargo on Israel. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;All countries that are bound by the international court, including Slovenia, must not recognize the situation resulting from Israel&rsquo;s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and must not offer any support in maintaining this situation,&rdquo; she added. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Slovenian government said on X that the decision sends &ldquo;a clear message to the state of Israel that Slovenia expects consistent respect for the decisions of international courts and international humanitarian law.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By doing so, Slovenia &ldquo;confirms its commitment to international law, universal values of human rights and a principled and consistent foreign policy,&rdquo; the government added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacts at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, in Jerusalem

Europe

Slovenia on Thursday said it was banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the European Union country to underscore its defense of international law.

Slovenia bars Netanyahu entry over International Criminal Court warrant

<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">TEL AVIV: Israeli protesters unveiled a large banner at the hostages square, Saturday (September 13), urging Netanyahu to &#39;stop deceiving&#39; President Trump.<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Earlier on Saturday hostage families gathered in Tel Aviv, blaming Netanyahu for derailing ceasefire negotiations and hindering a hostage deal. Israel&#39;s&nbsp;attack in Qatar on Tuesday, where Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas,&nbsp;risked derailing U.S.-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict.<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Israel&#39;s assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, while internally displacing almost all Gaza&#39;s population, and set off a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel&#39;s military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Israel has rejected that determination. It launched its offensive in Gaza after an October 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies, of which 20 are believed to be alive.

Protesters in Tel Aviv unfurled a banner urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to “stop deceiving President Trump,” as hostage families accused him of blocking ceasefire talks. The move follows Israel’s attempted strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which drew international condemnation.

Israeli protesters urge Netanyahu to 'stop deceiving' Trump

Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: In a speech delivered on the eve of the 24th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Israel&#39;s adversaries across the globe, declaring that &ldquo;no place is safe&rdquo; for those who harbor or support the Palestinian group Hamas.&nbsp; The remarks followed Israeli airstrikes in Qatar, an unprecedented military action against a U.S. ally, which killed six people, including a Qatari security officer, and targeted senior Hamas leaders. The strike, carried out in Doha on Tuesday, drew swift international condemnation and escalated fears of a broader regional conflict. Netanyahu defended the move as a &ldquo;lawful act of self-defense,&rdquo; comparing Hamas&rsquo; October 7, 2023 attack on Israel to the 9/11 attacks on the United States. &ldquo;Just as the U.S. hunted down Al-Qaeda after 9/11, Israel will pursue those responsible for October 7, no matter where they hide,&rdquo; Netanyahu said. &ldquo;Expel them or bring them to justice. Otherwise, we will do it ourselves.&rdquo; He singled out Qatar as a &ldquo;safe haven&rdquo; for Hamas leadership, accusing the Gulf state of offering &ldquo;luxurious villas and full protection&rdquo; to individuals Israel considers terrorists. &ldquo;This is not harboring diplomacy; this is harboring terror,&rdquo; Netanyahu added. The remarks and the strike mark a dramatic expansion of Israel&rsquo;s doctrine of extraterritorial military operations, sending a message that Israel will act unilaterally, even in allied nations, if it believes its security is threatened. Saudi Arabia condemns &ldquo;brutal aggression&rdquo;The Israeli attack on Doha sparked a sharp rebuke from Saudi Arabia. In an annual address to the Shura Council delivered on behalf of King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned what he described as Israel&rsquo;s &quot;brutal aggression&quot; against Qatar and the broader Palestinian population. &ldquo;We will stand with Qatar without limit,&rdquo; the crown prince said. &ldquo;Arab, Islamic, and international action is urgently needed to confront such aggression. These actions not only threaten Qatar but endanger the entire region&rsquo;s stability.&rdquo; He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, calling Israel&rsquo;s recent actions &ldquo;flagrant violations of international law.&rdquo; Pakistan seeks emergency UN actionPakistan joined the chorus of international concern, labeling Israel&rsquo;s strike in Qatar a &ldquo;dangerous escalation.&rdquo; Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Wednesday that Islamabad has formally requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), along with Algeria and Somalia, to address Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;brazen violation&rdquo; of international norms. &ldquo;The attack is an open challenge to international peace and security,&rdquo; Dar said on X. &ldquo;Israel has shown it is willing to attack any state it deems supportive of Palestinian resistance, even at the risk of global conflict.&rdquo; Dar revealed that Pakistan, in coordination with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has also called for an urgent session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to hold Israel accountable for its strikes on Doha. Pakistan praised Qatar&rsquo;s decision to host an Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on September 15, offering to co-sponsor the gathering to forge a united response.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack, describing it as a &ldquo;barbaric violation of every legal and moral boundary.&rdquo; Global tensions rise amid Gaza onslaughtThe timing of Netanyahu&rsquo;s threat, on the anniversary of 9/11, has raised alarms across the diplomatic world, with many interpreting the rhetoric as a direct challenge to the international system. Critics warn that Israel&rsquo;s expanding military actions risk triggering a wider regional war. The airstrike in Qatar came amid ongoing Israeli military aggression in Gaza, where over 64,600 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to local health authorities. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, and ceasefire negotiations have stalled. Qatari officials condemned Tuesday&rsquo;s airstrike as a &ldquo;criminal attack&rdquo; and a &ldquo;flagrant violation&rdquo; of sovereignty and international law. A government spokesperson said the strike endangered the safety of both Qatari citizens and the thousands of foreign nationals residing in the capital. Despite global outrage, Netanyahu doubled down, stating that Israel would not apologize for defending itself. &ldquo;We are not seeking war with the world,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but we will not be constrained by borders when our citizens are under threat.&rdquo; As world leaders prepare for the upcoming Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, the question now is whether Israel&rsquo;s unprecedented action will force a diplomatic reckoning, or ignite a new front in an already volatile region.

Security

Israeli strikes in Doha draws global outrage; Pakistan urges UN action, calling it a threat to regional peace.

Articles tagged with "Benjamin Netanyahu"

Trump convinced Netanyahu to take a deal. Can he keep him onboard?

Slovenia bars Netanyahu entry over International Criminal Court warrant

Israeli protesters urge Netanyahu to 'stop deceiving' Trump

On 9/11 Anniversary: Israel threatens to strike 'foes' anywhere after Qatar attack