The U.S., Israel, and Qatar are holding a trilateral meeting in New York on Sunday to rebuild relations after the failed Israeli strike in Doha, two sources familiar with the details told Axios.
Why it matters: This is the highest-level meeting between the countries since the deal to end the war in Gaza, for which Qatar served as a key mediator. It's taking place as the Trump administration prepares to announce that the Gaza peace process is moving to a new phase.
Behind the scenes: White House envoy Steve Witkoff is hosting the meeting. Mossad spy chief David Barnea will represent Israel and a senior Qatari official will also join, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Flashback: On Sep. 9, Israeli jets conducted an unprecedented strike against Hamas leaders in Doha. Hamas' top leaders survived, but a Qatari security guard was killed.
- In response, Qatar stepped back as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, and Arab countries collectively condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and pushed the Trump administration to force Israel to end the war.
- Later that month, Netanyahu called Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani from the White House, at Trump's urging, to apologize for the strike.
- The Qataris resumed their mediation role, but relations between Israel and Qatar — two of the most important U.S. partners in the Middle East — remained frosty.
How it happened: In an effort to resolve the crisis, the U.S. proposed a trilateral mechanism to "enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances, and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats."
- Sunday's meeting is the first time the three countries are convening under that mechanism.
- Netanyahu has previously said that within this framework he intends to raise complaints regarding Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the hostility toward Israel in broadcasts from Al Jazeera (which is funded by Qatar), and Qatar's alleged support for anti-Israel sentiments on U.S. college campuses.
- Nevertheless, it's likely the trilateral meeting will focus in large part on the implementation of the Gaza peace agreement — in particular on the disarming of Hamas and other sensitive issues in the transition to the second phase of the deal.
The intrigue: The ties between Netanyahu's governments and Qatar over the years have become an explosive political issue in Israel.
- Netanyahu requested that Qatar make payments to Hamas between 2018-2023 to be used to govern Gaza, but those payments also helped fund the group's military build-up and became a massive source of controversy after the Oct. 7 attacks.
- Meanwhile, several of Netanyahu's closest advisers are under investigation for allegedly taking money from Qatar to help bolster the Gulf state's image in Israel and internationally, including during the war.
