Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani will meet US President Donald Trump in New York on Friday, following Israel’s deadly strike on Doha that has triggered concern in Washington over the future of Gaza ceasefire talks hosted by the Gulf state.
The move is seen as a major diplomatic mobilisation by the Gulf state in the wake of the unprecedented attack on the country by Israel, which will include an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha next Sunday and Monday to discuss the regional response to the issue.
The Qatari leader is also expected to meet Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Washington, D.C, according to Politico.
Axios reported that Sheikh Mohammed would arrive in the US capital on Friday morning, where he will first hold a meeting with Rubio at the White House, before returning to New York in the evening for talks with Trump and Witkoff.
The meetings come as the Trump administration has voiced growing concerns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the strike in Qatar. Politico, citing a source close to Trump’s national security team and a US official, said Trump and his top aides have questioned whether Netanyahu is deliberately trying to sabotage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
"Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he [Netanyahu] bombs someone," the source told Politico. "That’s why the president and his aides are so frustrated with Netanyahu."
The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s concerns over Netanyahu have intensified since Tuesday’s strike on Doha.
An official told the paper that Trump has even voiced his frustrations with Netanyahu directly to leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE during his Middle East trip in May.
Another US official alleged that Trump’s "inability to control Netanyahu" is "especially vexing" to Washington, particularly when Israeli actions affect Washington's relations with Qatar and Syria, according to Politico.
Despite the frustration, the official added there were no plans for the administration to reprimand Netanyahu over the strike. An Israeli official said that Netanyahu and Trump spoke twice after the attack, describing the conversations as "good".
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Trump, however, told Politico that the decision to launch the strike in Qatar was Netanyahu’s alone, and added that it "does not advance Israel or America’s goals".
Despite this, questions remain over US complicity in the attack, with many observers convinced that Washington must have known about the attack in advance.
In a speech at the UN Security Council on Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar would "continue its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts without hesitation", but warned that the country would not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty. He accused Israel of attempting to derail mediation efforts by targeting Hamas officials in Doha.
Politico further reported that Trump and his aides fear the Israeli attack on Qatar could have disrupted ceasefire talks "possibly permanently".
Trump expressed hope that this would not be the case, telling reporters: "I hope it doesn’t affect that, and we want their release soon", in reference to hostages held in Gaza. The White House has sought to calm Qatari anger.
Politico, citing its sources, said Rubio had spoken in recent days with Sheikh Mohammed about prioritising an expanded US-Qatar defence cooperation agreement.
Axios reported that among the issues on the agenda for the Qatari prime minister’s US trip is a new security agreement between Washington and Doha, with Trump directing Rubio to accelerate the discussions after the Israeli strike.
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