Qatar: bombed by Netanyahu but a key ally of the US (& the UK). Imperial realities
Israel from 1948 is a State built on terror, so in one sense its no surprise that it bombed Doha on 9th September.
Netanyahu no doubt thinks he’ll get away with it, and that Trump’s reported discontent is only temporary.
The imperial politics have a complexity however beyond the genocidal warmongering from Tel Aviv
The Sunday Times (27 Nov 2022) carried an interesting analysis of the realities of the Qatar World Cup played there in the final weeks of the year. The stadiums were far from full and the Qatar Government’s human rights record came under fire.
No matter. The football cost Qatar a lot of money but it sits on a gas field. In the context of the war in Ukraine that is proving very profitable. Behind the football has been the imperial reality. Diplomats and politicians watched games and dined in restaurants. The Qatar take on politics is arguably towards the Taliban end of things, certainly sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood.
That has caused issues in the past but not now. The ST reported that Qatar has the largest US base in the Middle East and is regarded as its key ally in the region beyond Israel and Saudi. Britain also has a military presence, particularly the RAF
In short it can be understood why the World Cup ended up in Qatar- power politics. A politics that Netanyahu has intervened in, just as he does across the Middle East.
The response requires yet more protest. Starmer has condemned the bombing of Doha and is meeting the Israeli President Herzog at the same. The actions speak louder than the words
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