US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to guarantee Qatar’s security – including by taking military action – if the country comes under attack.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order says.
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures – including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military – to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
Qatar welcomed the signing of the executive order, describing it as “a reflection of the strong and long-standing ties between Doha and Washington, built on co-operation and partnership in mediation, conflict resolution and global peace and security”.
“The move represents an important step in strengthening the two countries' close defence partnerships,” the statement by Qatar's foreign ministry said.
The order, released on Wednesday and dated September 29, was signed three weeks after Israel launched an air strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar. The attack killed several members of Hamas's negotiating team as well as a Qatari security officer.
The strike outraged Qatari and US officials and raised questions about the strength of American security guarantees for the Gulf nation.
The executive order appeared to be aimed at reassuring Qatar that such a strike would not happen again.
“This is probably symbolic,” a former US State Department official told The National, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We've kind of run out of statutory based gold stars to hand out, and they were searching for other things. They looked around and said, what can we give them that doesn't require congressional action?”
Qatar hosts the largest US military installation in the Middle East and, like many of its Gulf neighbours, has regarded the US as a key guarantor of its security. That made the recent attack by Israel, a close American ally, particularly shocking to Qatari officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday offered a rare apology to Qatar for the attack.
Before the announcement of the 20-point peace plan for Gaza, Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu held a three-way conversation with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman from the White House.
“Israel was targeting terrorists. It wasn't targeting Qatar, and of course, we regretted the loss of the Qatari citizen,” Mr Netanyahu told reporters.
Kristin Diwan, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute says the attack left Qatar in a vulnerable position, and with a crisis of deterrence.
“This step really relieves the crisis," Ms Diwan tells The National.
"They have a public apology from President Netanyahu, overseen by President Trump in the Oval Office, and now an assurance of their security in the name of the President, basically saying that an attack on Qatar was like an attack on the United States.”
She adds that the move is directly related to the Israeli attack on Qatar, rather than a change in approach towards a broader alignment with the GCC countries, despite the fact that the attack on Qatar was also felt by the other Gulf states.
"They'll be reassured by this," Ms Diwan says. "I wouldn't be surprised if they would be seeking more direct assurances from the White House as well.”
Mr Netanyahu had previously defended the strike, saying it was part of Israel’s mission to avenge the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and ignited the war in Gaza.
