Scoop: Qatar requests Israeli apology to resume Gaza mediation efforts
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Than in Doha on September 16. Photo: Nathan Howard/Pool via Getty
Qatar wants an apology from Israel for its strike in Doha before it resumes its mediation on a Gaza peace deal, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Qatar stepped back as mediator after the Israeli strike. The Trump administration believes without Qatari mediation, it will be very difficult to reach a deal to release the hostages and end the war.
Between the lines: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Qatar of harboring terrorists and claimed Israel could even strike again in future.
- Apologizing now would be a politically explosive reversal for Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition, but a source familiar with the matter said the Qataris understand the political complexity in Israel and are willing to be flexible on the language of the mea culpa.
Driving the news: Five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer were killed in the Israeli strike in Doha 10 days ago, but all of Hamas' senior leaders survived.
- It was the first time Israel carried out an airstrike in one of the Gulf states and it significantly exacerbated Israel's regional isolation.
Behind the scenes: A senior Israeli official said Israel underestimated the scale of the crisis attacking Qatar would cause, and said Netanyahu realizes he miscalculated.
- The Trump administration wants to dial down the tensions between Israel and Qatar in order to resume the Gaza negotiations.
- The two sources said the request for an apology comes from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and that he raised the matter with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when they met Tuesday in Doha.
- The Qatari request also came up in meetings between Rubio and Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a source with knowledge said.
- Witkoff is scheduled to meet in New York on Saturday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss efforts to end the crisis between Israel and Qatar and allow negotiations to resume.
What they're saying: A source familiar with the matter said the Qataris may agree to an Israeli apology that focuses on the killing of the Qatari security officer and includes promises to compensate his family and not violate Qatari sovereignty again.
- Israel has made such apologies in the past. In 2013, Netanyahu apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the killing of Turkish activists in the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.
