Israel's Qatar attack was a costly failure

A week after Israel's missile strikes in Qatar, it's clear not only that the assassination attempt against Hamas leaders failed, but that it backfired.Why it matters: The strike increased the feeling inside the Trump administration and around the world that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is reckless and has become a destabilizing force in the region.How it happened: Israel's plan was to take out several of Hamas' top leaders all at once as they met to discuss President Trump's Gaza peace proposal.Five Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security officer, but the key targets all survived."None of the top Hamas leaders were killed. Maybe there were some shock victims," a senior Israeli intelligence official told Axios. Netanyahu claimed the idea was that taking obstinate Hamas officials off the board would make it easier to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal.Instead, the failed attack led to the indefinite suspension of negotiations. Hamas' negotiators went underground, and the outraged Qatari mediators suspended their efforts.A senior Israeli official told Axios Hamas had been moving "in the direction of a deal" and "we could have reached a breakthrough within days." Instead, the official argued, the strike sabotaged the talks.Between the lines: Netanyahu wanted to apply more pressure on Qatar to squeeze Hamas, but the attack led to a swell of international solidarity with the Gulf emirate.Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was hosted by Trump at Trump Tower and by Vice President Vance at the White House, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio jetted to Doha to discuss a defense agreement with Qatar.Dozens of Western and Arab leaders issued statements condemning Israel and supporting Qatar, and Arab and Muslim leaders flocked to Doha for an emergency summit on Monday.Zoom out: The Doha strike debacle happened just before the five-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.Trump came into office wanting to add countries to that list, but that seems farther off than ever. Driving the news: The leaders at Monday's summit seemed to be competing to slam Israel the hardest.In a joint statement as the summit closed, the participating countries expressed skepticism about the ability to establish or maintain ties with Israel.Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi sent a message directly to the Israeli people in his speech, warning the Netanyahu government was endangering the peace agreement between the countries. Friction point: Netanyahu didn't notify Trump of the strike until shortly before it took place. Trump continues to claim he had no prior notice, though Israeli officials tell Axios he spoke to Netanyahu in the hour before the strike began.Still, the surge of anger in Qatar and around the region after the attack forced the White House onto the defensive, and many on Trump's team were furious about the decision and lack of proper consultation.Some in the administration have advised the Israelis to take steps to rectify the situation, a U.S. official said. The other side: During a press conference alongside Rubio on Monday, Netanyahu rejected the claim the strike was a failure. "It didn't fail because it had one central message, and we considered it before we launched it, and that is: 'You can hide, you can run, but we'll get you.' We were seeking to pass a message to the terrorists that they are not immune anywhere in the world," Netanyahu said. A senior Israeli official who was involved in the discussions leading up to the attack said Netanyahu's order revealed his current state of mind. "He fell in love with being the regional bully, that nobody can expect his next move."In a speech in Jerusalem after his meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu shed further light on his state of mind when he spoke of Israel as a "super Sparta." He shocked many when he said Israel's growing international isolation and the possibility of future arms embargoes and sanctions meant it was time to build a self-reliant economy.He later clarified that he was only advocating self-sufficiency in arms production, not cutting off all trade, but it was too late. The Tel Aviv stock exchange had already taken a plunge.

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