Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailPresident Donald Trump has said he is “not thrilled” about Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, which promises to give him a fresh diplomatic headache in the Middle East.Hamas has said that five of its lower-ranking members and a Qatari security official were killed in the surprise strike but that its senior leadership had escaped injury.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s move into a country that had been considered a safe zone in the region has shocked its Gulf allies and placed a further strain on its relationship with Washington, which may feel its own security guarantees to Qatar have been violated by Netanyahu’s actions.open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans earlier this year after accepting a Qatari 747-8 aircraft as a gift (AFP/Getty)An investigation earlier this year by The Free Press reported that Qatar has invested $100bn in improving relations with the U.S. in recent years after Trump alleged in June 2017 that the country “has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.” The outreach program culminated with the president visiting in May and accepting a $400m luxury Boeing jumbo jet as a stand-in for Air Force One after complaining about the length of time it was taking the U.S. aircraft giant to build replacements commissioned under Barack Obama in 2015. The plane is so lavish it has been dubbed the ‘palace in the sky’.Trump’s acceptance caused an ethics uproar at the time, despite his assurances it would go to his presidential library once he has left office.It was reported in late July that the U.S. had already begun refitting the plane at great expense, with Trump himself saying it could be ready for service by February 2026, but Qatar might now feel it has cause to regret its generosity, despite originally describing the jet as an “unconditional” present.In Trump’s defense, he made it clear on Tuesday that he played no part in Israel’s decision to go after Hamas in Doha, writing on Truth Social: “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.” open image in gallerySmoke rises from an explosion allegedly caused by the Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday (AP)The president added that he had dispatched Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar of the assault as soon as he learned of it from the U.S. military, “which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack.” Trump further stated that he felt “very badly” about the incident and had made assurances to Qatar’s Emir and PM “that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”Asked about it by reporters when he stepped out for dinner in D.C. last night, he said: “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation, not a good situation, but I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down.“I will tell you this: I was very unhappy about it. Very unhappy about every aspect; we’ve got to get the hostages back. But I was very unhappy about the way that went down.”A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, meanwhile, said that the attack “constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.” Their remarks contained no overt criticism of the U.S.In donating its “flying palace” earlier this year, the emirate denied accusations of influence-buying, although it was clearly intended, at the very least, as a gesture of friendship designed to engender closer ties.open image in galleryTrump addresses U.S. troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar in May (Reuters)“It’s really unfair accusations for [saying] Qatar’s trying to buy influence,” Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Fox News anchor Bret Baier this spring. “Throughout the last 25 years or 30 years, you will see, you’ll find Qatar always by the side of the U.S. in many areas and many things.”Trump’s decision to accept the plane nevertheless proved hugely controversial, with top Democrats accusing the president of “naked corruption” and likening the present to the Trojan Horse.Amid a furore in Congress over the jet potentially violating the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause, Trump’s own Justice Department lawyers moved quickly to rule that taking delivery of it would break no laws.Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House lawyer David Warrington said they had concluded the donation of the aircraft was “legally permissible.”But Columbia Law School Professor Richard Briffault questioned that assessment when he told NPR that if Trump breaks his word and holds onto the plane after leaving office “then it’s not really a gift to the United States at all” and instead amounts to a “pretty textbook case of a violation of the emoluments clause.”Another cause for concern was the eye-watering cost of the retrofitting work required to make the jet an acceptable substitute for the presidential plane.Experts warned this spring that it would take several years and require billions of dollars in further investment from the American taxpayer to ensure it meets the necessary security standards.It would require secure communications, electromagnetic shielding, and in-flight refueling capabilities, to name just three necessary upgrades, which aviation experts cited by NBC News estimated would put the bill at $1bn, more than twice the plane’s worth.
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Will Qatar regret gifting $400m jet to Trump after Israel’s attack in Doha?
