On September 29, local time, a striking apology call crossed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean from the White House’s Oval Office.
In a public photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looked dignified, and US President Trump dialed the phone with one hand, and the two sat side by side-this moment was fixed by the camera as the beginning of an important diplomatic mediation.
A phone call and a push.
During the call, Netanyahu officially apologized for Israel's air strikes in Doha in early September, violating Qatar's sovereignty, and expressed "deep regret" for the deaths of a Qatar security officer in the attack, promising Israel to pay compensation to the families of the victims and guaranteeing no more such attacks in the future.
The White House subsequently issued a statement saying that Mohammed "welcomes the Israeli promise" and stressed that Qatar is willing to continue to make "significant contributions" to regional security and stability.
Foreign media such as the Qatari Peninsula TV and Axios News Network read this seemingly ordinary diplomatic statement, but its underlying words are clear and powerful: With the key condition of public apology being met, the substantive door for mediating the Israeli conflict in Pakistan, promoting the end of the conflict in Gaza and the release of detainees has been reopened.
Trump, who made this call, also expressed his affirmation of the attitude of the two leaders, expressing the hope that "after years of poor communication, Israel-Qatar relations will be pushed to a positive track".
Foreign media generally pointed out that behind the call, Trump played the role of a “key driver.”
Axios News Network revealed that the White House used the word "hosted" to describe Trump's involvement.A source informed that Trump urged Netanyahu to apologize two weeks ago, saying he believes "a simple apology often solves a serious contradiction."
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed that the phone call "was one of the efforts made by the United States to address the impact of Israeli aggression".
"They did have a heart-to-heart exchange, and this dialogue was very successful and constructive." At the press conference, Trump revealed that the United States, Israel and Qatar agreed to launch a formal trilateral mechanism to "enhance common security, eliminate misunderstandings and avoid future estrangement" through dialogue.
Trump also praised Qatar's Emir (head of state) Tamim as a "amazing person" and hoped that Qatar could join the Abraham Accords mediated by him to normalize relations with Israel.
“Triple side dance” and “go steel thread”
Behind the scenes, a well-arranged "trilateral dance" has already been staged. This call was not an isolated incident, but the climax of a series of sophisticated diplomatic steps.
US media analysis pointed out that before Netanyahu stepped into the White House, Trump had first spoken to Qatari Emir (head of state) Tamim, paving the way for this much-watched diplomatic mediation.
Axios News Network and Associated Press that "Trump's calculation is clear": he hopes to personally announce a deal to end the conflict in Pakistan during Netanyahu's visit to the United States.
CBS captured an interesting detail.
When Netanyahu arrived at the White House, Trump personally greeted him, and the two sides had a brief conversation when shaking hands. When asked if he was confident in reaching a peace deal in Gaza, Trump replied without hesitation: "I am confident, and very confident."
Ironically, the Israeli air strikes on Doha on September 9 “against Hamas leadership” killed five Palestinians and one member of the Qatar security forces, which not only failed to its preconceived military objectives, but sparked the anger of the Arab world and sparked strong international condemnation.
According to Qatar TV, UN Secretary-General Guterres condemned the Israeli attack on Doha as a “open violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.The report also said that after the airstrikes “nearly 60 Muslim countries gathered in Doha in days to show solidarity”.
For Netanyahu, the cost of this diplomatic advance, including the “political earthquake” he suffered at home, the fierce attacks from his far-right allies, gave him a realistic challenge: how to “move well” between diplomatic breakthroughs and domestic politics.
Qatar’s “red line” with U.S. “proposal”
Professor Barakart of the University of Qatar said the apology call was “significant.”
In an interview with the Peninsula TV, he noted that Qatar has long drawn a clear red line: to continue as a mediator for Palestine, Israel must meet two conditions: one is to publicly apologize, and the other is to promise not to repeat the same.
Barakart further explains: “This is not only crucial for the mediation between Hamas and Israel, but also for the entire system of mediation work.
Fox News revealed that Trump’s “20-point plan” on ending the conflict in Gaza is broad, including:
- Hamas must release all remaining detainees (regardless of their deaths) within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance of the agreement.
- Israel will then release 250 lifetime prisoners and 1,700 Gaza nationals detained after 7 October 2023.
- Once all detainees are released, Hamas members who promise peaceful coexistence and disarm will be "pardoned", and members who wish to leave Gaza will be granted a safe passage;
- A transitional international agency called the Peace Commission will oversee post-war post-war governance in the Gaza Strip, and Trump will be chairman of the Peace Commission.
- Israel will withdraw its troops from Gaza and stop military operations.
Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas at the press conference, threatening that if it refuses to accept the plan, it is likely to face a more serious conflict: "If Hamas does not accept it, Israel will get my full support to complete the task of lifting the threat of Hamas."
Netanyahu, on the other hand, said that if Hamas does not accept the proposal, “Israel will accomplish the set goals on its own,” adding that Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to establishing a Palestinian state.
At the end of the White House press conference, when reporters asked for more details of Netanyahu’s apology, Trump declined to answer, suggesting that the statement might be “inappropriate” before signing the document.
“Let’s fix this first,” Netanyahu told reporters.
At the end of the conference, the two leaders turned away and left the wave of apology calls to the media behind, with a rewrite of the Middle East chess station.