The Arab-Islamic summit: The Gulf activates joint defence mechanisms

The participants of the extraordinary summit of Arab and Islamic state leaders condemned Israel’s ’’cowardly’’ attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital but stopped short of pledging concrete measures on September 15, in Doha. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s promise to ’’activate the joint defense mechanism’’ was the most tangible outcome of the summit.

The summit was opened by Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who described Israel’s bombardment as ’’blatant, treacherous, and cowardly.’’

’’My country’s capital has been subjected to a treacherous attack. A house that hosted the families of Hamas leaders and a negotiating delegation was targeted,’’ Sheikh Tamim said.

He emphasized that at the time, the delegation was discussing a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Sheikh Tamim accused the Israeli government of being ’’driven by power, arrogance, and bloodlust’’ and called for concrete measures against it. According to him, the attack demonstrated to mediators that Israel has no genuine interest in peace and intended to disrupt negotiations aimed at ending the Gaza conflict.

The extraordinary summit was convened following Israel’s airstrike on September 9, which killed six people.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), representing six Gulf states, condemned Israel’s ’’brutal aggression against a brotherly state like Qatar,” describing it as a ’’direct threat to overall Gulf security as well as regional peace and stability.’’

The GCC decided to convene meetings of the Joint Defense Council and the Supreme Military Committee. These bodies will ’’assess the defense capabilities of member states and sources of threats in light of Israel’s aggression” and ’’activate joint defense mechanisms and deterrence capacities in the Gulf region.”

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, maintains a defense pact to ensure regional security. In the coming days, a unified command summit is set to be held in Doha.

’’The unified command meeting will take place here in Doha and will focus on ensuring the security of GCC member states. The GCC stands united,” said Majid Muhammad al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states signed a joint defense agreement in 2000. According to the agreement, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. The GCC stated, ’’It is ready to mobilize all available means to protect Qatar’s security, stability, and sovereignty against any threats.’’

However, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) obligation to defend itself is not as strict as that of the NATO military alliance. This is because the GCC does not have a unified military command system. In previous attacks on member states, such as the strikes by Yemen’s Houthis against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the GCC did not implement joint defense measures. Nevertheless, Gulf leaders had already expressed concern over Israel’s aggressive actions in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. Their populations are also outraged by the genocide in Gaza, where more than 64,900 Palestinians have been killed. The US’s indifference to Israel’s attacks has further heightened Gulf concerns.

Israel’s expansionist dream

During the summit, the Amir of Qatar warned about Israel’s regional expansion, highlighting its repeated bombings in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, its occupation of Syrian territories, and its refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

According to the Amir, Benjamin Netanyahu ’’dreams of turning the Arab region into Israel’s sphere of influence, but this is a dangerous illusion.’’

No specific political or economic measures against Israel were announced at the summit. However, the GCC Secretary-General, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaywi, called on U.S. President Donald Trump to exert influence over Israel.

’’We expect our strategic partners to put pressure on Israel. They have the capability to do so, and the time has come to exercise it.’’

The summit’s final document was largely limited to condemnations and expressions of solidarity with Qatar:

’’We strongly condemn Israel’s cowardly and illegal attack on Qatar. We stand in complete solidarity with Qatar and support its actions,’’ the statement read.

The document reaffirmed support for Qatar’s role as a mediator and stated that there is no justification for the attack. It also strongly rejected Israel’s ’’threats to target Qatar again.”

”We will hold Israel accountable on the international stage. For us, the main instruments are international law and international organizations,” said Qatar’s Foreign Ministry representative al-Ansari.

Stronger calls from some countries

Although the joint statement did not include concrete measures, several world leaders made stronger proposals:

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for economic pressure, emphasizing its effectiveness in the past. He also proposed prosecuting Israeli officials through international legal mechanisms.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi described Israel’s attack on Qatar as ’’a serious violation of international law and a dangerous precedent,” urging the Israeli people to respect peace agreements.
• Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suggested suspending Israel’s UN membership and forming a joint Arab-Islamic bloc.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that ’’condemnations will not stop the rockets, and statements will not free Palestine,” proposing strict sanctions on Israel and severing diplomatic and economic ties.
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also called on Muslim countries to cut relations with Israel.

US ignorance

Last week, the publication ”Middle East Eye” reported that US President Donald Trump ”approved” the attack on Qatar. Yesterday, September 15, the American portal “Axios” also reported that Trump had prior knowledge of and consented to the attack.

Additionally, some officials who would normally be in contact with the US operations center in Doha stated that communications were “lost” during the September 9 attack. This may indicate that communications were deliberately cut to carry out the operation.

The wealthy Gulf monarchies have long relied on the U.S. for security. Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the region, and the building targeted by Israel was located not far from the US embassy in Doha.

Analysts note that within the UAE, Israel’s closest Arab partner, there are disagreements over how to respond to the attack on Qatar. Haaretz reported last week that Qatar requested the UAE to close its embassy in Israel.

The Doha summit coincided with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During a joint press event with Rubio, Netanyahu did not rule out further strikes against states harboring Hamas members. Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar have, at different times, hosted Hamas officials; notably, Turkey is a NATO member.

Meanwhile, Rubio did not openly oppose Israel’s attack on Qatar. At the same time, Trump issued a confusing statement, seemingly hinting at U.S. involvement in the operation and not ruling out future Israeli strikes.

”Qatar has long been a major partner of the U.S. Many are unaware of this, but its Amir is an extraordinary person. I also told Netanyahu that we must be careful when attacking others,” Trump said.

Qatar and Egypt played a key mediating role between Hamas and Israel at the request of the U.S. Following Israel’s bombing of Doha, some analysts and diplomats suggested that Qatar might halt its mediation efforts.

However, on September 15, Rubio dismissed the mediation as largely irrelevant, labeling Hamas as ”a terrorist group whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state.”

”That is why we expect nothing from this process (the ceasefire),” Rubio said.

According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson al-Ansari, Qatar is in close dialogue with the U.S. and is conducting negotiations on the next steps.

Commenting on the Doha summit, Rome University professor Andrea Dessi noted that the tone among Arab-Islamic states has shifted.

”At the moment, we see changes at the rhetorical level. But actions will need to follow,” he said.