World leaders quickly criticized Israel for their attack on Qatar on Tuesday, attacking Hamas' political leaders on a high fire in Gaza.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, typically one of Israel's most vowel supporters, said he was “very discontent with all aspects” of the strike. Germany, for a long time a constant sponsor of Israel, declared the “unacceptable” attack and a violation of Qatar's sovereignty. And India, who, under his nationalist leader Narendra Modi, has greatly supported Israel, warned “climbing” and said he was “deeply worried.”
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But the rhetorical conviction of Israel's attack may not translate into significant policy changes. Israel has continually ignored international law during its war against Gaza, where he has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, destroyed the enclave and caused a famine. He has also repeatedly attacked neighboring countries and has rejected any international criticism he has faced.
“One could presume that these strikes would mean that Israeli allies who have been quite cautious in their criticisms would change their direction, but this is not particularly probable,” said Hellyer, a senior member of the Royal United Service Institute and Center for American Progress.
“In terms of politics, Israel has participated in a massive war of devastation in the Gaza Strip, leading to accusations of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and violating the sovereignty of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Tunisia for the last two years,” Hellyer added. “None of that led to substantial changes in politics towards the Israeli government of these states, and I don't hope this does.”
Global change
Qatar's growing diplomatic influence and his strong ties with the United States lend an additional meaning to Israeli attack, which failed in their mission of killing Hamas leaders, but killed five members of Hamas of lower rank and a Qatar security officer. However, analysts warned that Qatar's position with the United States may not be enough to change global policy towards Israel.
“International public opinion is definitely changing quite quickly,” said Karim Emile Bitar, professor of international relations at Beirut University of Saint Joseph. “However, I believe that this change in public opinion is mainly related to what is happening in Gaza, the famine and the fact that even the intellectuals and academics of Israeli leaders now call it genocide.”
Bitar said that the attack on Qatar would probably lead to a hardening of attitudes towards Israel in the Gulf, instead of other places.
Gulf leaders have already visited Doha in solidarity or plan to do so, and Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani, has said that the Gulf States were discussing an answer to Israel.
For other countries, the attack on Qatar is the last evidence that Israel does not care about international law, and is creating an increasingly unstable medium, which is unpopular among the public in many countries. His concern about it, weighs how much they are willing to anger Israel and his main ally, the United States, determines how far they are willing to arrive in terms of action against Israel.
One of the most notable changes has been in Europe, where several countries, as well as in the European Union, have become increasingly critical of Israel and have begun to threaten the sanctions.
More recently, Spain has imposed a formal arms embargo on Israel and banned ships that transport fuel so that the Israel military pass through its ports, while the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has suggested sanctions, including the suspension of the EU-Israel Free Trade Agreement, could be introduced.
Double standard
But the action against Israel of Western countries remains minimal compared to the isolation and sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
That despite the fact that Israel becomes increasingly unbridled by committing violence in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, a day after his strike in Qatar and only weeks after killing the Prime Minister of the Hutí Rebel Government in Yemen, Israel hit the country, including a residential area in the capital, Sanaa, killing at least 35 people. And on two occasions this week, Israel has been accused of launching two drones attacks against the Sumud Global Flotilla, a peaceful mission that tries to break the blockade of Gaza, and currently docked in Tunisia.
That adds to his previous attacks against Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
Nor has Israel indicated that he regrets the attack against Qatar, nor has he given other states to expect his territory not to be the host of similar attacks.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has seemed completely impenitent, saying about the strike: “Israel initiated it, Israel carried out and Israel assumes all responsibility.”
Prime Minister:
Today's action against Hamas' terrorist bosses was a totally independent Israeli operation.
Israel initiated it, Israel did it and Israel assumes all responsibility.
– Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתני imports (@Neanyahu) September 9, 2025
Other high -level figures went further. The Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, who is currently negotiating an investment agreement in India, despite his apparent concern for the strikes about Qatar, wrote that the enemies of Israel, whom he knew as “terrorists”, “would not have immunity of Israel's long arm anywhere in the world.”
“Israel has crossed the red line after the red line after the red line and nothing has happened,” said Rob Geist Pinfold, an international security professor at the King's College London. “Every time he crosses the Rubicón, he has returned and did it again.”
“European states can say and do whatever they want,” he added, “but at this time, there is simply not a sufficient deterrent to prevent them from hitting anywhere they want.”
Trump is key
Geist Pinfold told a man that he could change the way Israel acts: Donald Trump.
“The only figure that can stop them is Donald Trump,” said the academic.
The United States provides billions of dollars in support of Israel, as well as to assemble it, ensuring that it has military superiority over all its neighbors. It also supports Israel diplomatically, ensuring that the resolutions of the Security Council against Israel are rare, and has even sanctioned the officials of the International Criminal Court for having the recklessness of charging Netanyahu for war crimes.
Trump himself is favorably seen in Israel for his Pro-Israel policies, particularly in his first term, when he recognized Jerusalem, including the occupied East Jerusalem, such as the capital of Israel.
Many Israeli rightists see Trump's presidency as a perfect opportunity to carry out their objectives, such as the annexation of occupied West Bank. They believe that the United States will do little to stop them.
And although Trump has rhetorically pressed a high fire agreement in Gaza, he has largely supported Israel's position, and has even suggested that the Palestinian enclave becomes a “Gaza Riviera”, which involves what critics have called the ethnic cleaning of the Palestinian population of the strip.
The bombing of Qatar, a country that Trump visited shortly after assuming the position for his second term this year, is, for the president, a different issue of Israel's treatment to the Palestinians. However, the White House narrative about Israel's bombing has already given Washington a plausible denial, saying that the United States government only learned of the attack at the last minute and tried to inform Qatar in time.
A real indication of whether the United States is frustrated with Israel will be if Trump now pushes his ally to finally agree on a high fire agreement and end the war in Gaza, as well as his foreign adventurism.
Based on past evidence, that can be unlikely. But if the United States does, it has the possibility of opening the gates and even more isolating Israel at the international level.
“When it comes to the global image, the only game is the United States,” said Bitar, “and, more specifically, Donald Trump.”
