WASHINGTON: The United States will regard “any armed attack” on Qatari territory as a threat to Washington and will provide the Gulf Arab state with security guarantees, the White House said, after an Israeli strike on the country last month.
“In light of the continuing threats to the State of Qatar posed by foreign aggression, it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack,” said an Executive Order signed by US President Donald Trump on Monday.
In the event of an attack on Qatar, the United States will “take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” the order said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement the country “welcomes the signing of the US president’s executive order recognizing attacks on its territory as a threat to American peace and security.”
The agreement comes after an Israeli strike on the key US regional ally on September 9, targeting officials from the Palestinian armed group Hamas who were discussing a US peace proposal for the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Qatar’s prime minister from the White House on Monday, apologizing for strikes and promising not to do so again, the United States said.
Netanyahu was in Washington to meet Trump, and had until then been defiant since ordering the September 9 strikes.
Qatar is a key US ally in the Gulf and hosts the largest US military base in the region at Al-Udeid, which also includes a regional headquarters for elements of US Central Command.
US offers security guarantees to Qatar after Israel strikes: White House
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US offers security guarantees to Qatar after Israel strikes: White House
- Executive Order signed by President Trump saus US will regard 'any armed attack' on Qatari territory as threat Washington
- Qatar welcomes US action, which comes after Netanyahu apologized to Doha for an airstrike last month
1,965 Israeli violations recorded against Palestinians in February
- Head of Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission condemns attacks as a continuation of ‘terror’ against Palestinians
- Violations included assaults, uprooting trees, burning fields and preventing olive pickers from accessing their lands
LONDON: Israeli forces and settlers carried out 1,965 attacks across Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank in February, according to a report by the Palestinian Authority.
Muayyad Shaaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, condemned the attacks as a continuation of the “terror” against the Palestinian people, their land and property.
The commission documented 1,454 attacks by Israeli forces and 511 by settlers, most of which were concentrated in the governorates of Hebron with 421 attacks, followed by Nablus with 340, Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 320, and East Jerusalem with 210 attacks.
Violations have included direct beatings of Palestinians, uprooting trees, burning fields, and preventing olive pickers from accessing their lands.
Israeli forces have seized land and demolished homes and agricultural facilities under the pretext of “security,” which has enabled settlers to expand their settlements, according to Wafa news agency.
Shaaban said: “What is taking place represents an organized methodology aimed at emptying the land of its owners and imposing an integrated racist colonial system.”
Israeli settlers have poisoned and uprooted a total of 1,314 trees, including 1,054 olive trees, in the areas of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Tulkarm. The olive groves have been a lifeline for Palestinians in the West Bank, with an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 families relying on the olive harvest for their livelihoods, according to the UN Human Rights Council.
In February, Israeli forces demolished 122 structures belonging to Palestinians, including 56 inhabited homes, nine uninhabited homes, 34 agricultural facilities and 18 sources of livelihood. More than one-third of these demolitions took place in Jerusalem, totaling 46 structures.
