The notion that President Donald Trump’s recent push toward a ceasefire in Gaza may have been motivated, in large part, by his failed campaign to win a Nobel Peace Prize is well-documented. Less discussed is Trump’s close relationship with Qatar — a Gulf state ally where he, his family, friends, and the U.S. have increasingly significant ties.

For much of Israel’s war on Gaza, Trump showed little interest in the suffering of Palestinians. Before he was reelected, Trump used the word “Palestinian” as a slur meant to insult then-President Joe Biden on the debate stage. In February, as Palestinians in Gaza had just begun to return to their homes amid a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Trump called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza so that he could redevelop it into a “Middle East Riviera.” After Israel breached the Trump ceasefire in March, Trump put little overt pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end his war as the death toll mounted. Trump didn’t object when Israel attacked Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.

That changed suddenly after Israeli fighter jets launched 10 missiles at a residential building in the Qatari capital of Doha in early September.

The building in Doha housed Hamas political leaders and their families who at the time were engaged in peace talks with the Qataris serving as mediators. While the Hamas officials survived the attack, the strike killed six people, including a Qatari security official, and injured several others, including civilians.

Trump immediately took to Truth Social to say he was “unhappy” with the Israeli operation and denounced the strike on Qatar, which he called a “close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace.” Suddenly, Trump was facing pressure from his allies in the Middle East.

A U.S. ceasefire proposal followed several weeks later, with Trump strong-arming Netanyahu to accept. “He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine,” Trump told Axios. Prior to the press conference announcing his plan, Trump cornered Netanyahu in the Oval Office and pressed him to apologize over the phone to Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani for the September 9 airstrike. A Qatari official reportedly helped write Netanyahu’s apology, along with the White House, and remained in the Oval Office to ensure the Israeli leader stayed on script, according to Politico. Trump went on to start the press conference by praising the Qatari leader as a “fantastic person” who “wants peace.”

Qatar has long been a key U.S. ally, but since Trump’s reelection, the Persian Gulf nation........

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