Collective action: Arab leaders plot unified response in Qatar following Israeli attack

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

Has Israel become a rogue state, as described by the Arab League, and must be confronted?

Arab and Islamic leaders will gather in Doha on Sunday and Monday to discuss a unified response to Israel's strike on the Qatari capital, an attack described by the Arab League as the act of a "rogue state."

The emergency summit was convened after Israel's air assault on Doha, one of the region's most stable capitals, raising questions about how far Arab and Islamic nations are willing to go in retaliation. 

Proposals on the table range from freezing diplomatic ties with Israel to adopting a strongly worded condemnation. Some leaders are also considering a middle-ground approach, such as suspending existing trade relations between certain states and Israel.

Key figures expected to attend include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

The talks come as U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, faced pressure to clarify Washington's position in the wake of an attack involving two close American partners—Israel and Qatar. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with top U.S. officials on Friday after delivering remarks at the United Nations.

The assault on Qatar also prompted a rare joint consultation between France and the United Arab Emirates. French President Emmanuel Macron and Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed emphasized the urgency of advancing Palestinian statehood. 

Meanwhile, the UAE summoned Israel's deputy ambassador to denounce what it called a "cowardly Israeli attack" and condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inflammatory remarks against Qatar.

The Doha summit's outcome is expected to reverberate at the United Nations, where Saudi Arabia and France have already called for an international conference next week. 

On Friday, the U.N. General Assembly passed a French and British-sponsored resolution backed by dozens of countries, endorsing the conference's framework.

France, anticipating Israeli and American hostility toward the summit, has warned of possible retaliatory steps from Israel, including harsher measures against Palestinians or accelerated annexation plans. 

Analysts say Israel's strike on Qatar could ultimately backfire by pushing more countries toward recognizing Palestinian statehood.