President Donald Trump signed an order Monday offering a U.S. guarantee for Qatar's security, a significant commitment for the rising non-NATO Arab ally.
"The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States," the order, made public Wednesday, read in no uncertain terms.
"In the event of such an attack, the United States shall 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 guarantee represented a level of support typically offered to Washington's closest allies. It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for a Sept. 9 Israeli strike on his territory.
The strike was targeted at Hamas but killed one Qatari security official in the process.
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Qatar also was attacked by Iran in June in a strike targeted at its U.S. base.
The order falls short of a NATO-style defense pact - it hasn't been ratified by the Senate, so it isn't binding.
It came as Netanyahu and Trump, during a visit to the White House Monday, announced a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, brokered with Qatari mediation. Hamas has not yet accepted the plan.
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U.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: "The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level," Trump said at the time.
From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under President Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.' largest Middle East bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations.
The nation is now gifting the U.S. with a new plane to serve as Air Force One.
Qatar welcomed the president's executive order in a statement saying it reflects "the strong and longstanding ties between Doha and Washington."
"Qatar remains committed to working with the United States and international partners as a trusted mediator to address shared challenges, advance conflict resolution through diplomatic means, and support sustainable peace in the region," the statement said.
A security guarantee has long been a goal for Qatar and other Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The nation has hosted a Hamas political office since 2012, but local officials say they were asked to do so by the U.S. to establish a line of communication for negotiations.
Before Qatar was involved in mediating the Gaza ceasefire, it was a bridge for U.S. and Taliban talks before the withdrawal in 2021 and has worked on prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. This year it's been involved with the U.S. in working out a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, signed at the White House in June.
