On September 9, Israel shocked the world by bombing a villa in a residential neighborhood of Doha in an attempt to kill senior Hamas officials. It was the second time Qatar was struck this year. (In June, Iran launched missiles at a U.S. air base in the emirate in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran). As an important U.S. ally and a key conflict mediator, Qatar has generally been considered off-limits to the region’s belligerents. Moreover, Qatar has hosted Hamas leaders for years, with tacit American and Israeli approval, as part of its mediating role;
