Doha solidarity, empty gestures

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, UAE state news agency WAM reported, in a show of solidarity a day after Israel launched an airstrike targeting Hamas officials in Doha.

According to an official with knowledge of the matter, Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein is also expected in Doha on Wednesday, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to arrive Thursday. The visits were not previously scheduled and were described as a coordinated gesture of regional solidarity with Qatar following the Israeli strikes.

But the choreography of these high-level visits reveals less about genuine sympathy and more about domestic political optics.

The so-called “solidarity” visits are, in reality, an exercise in blatant hypocrisy. No one — not even Qatar itself — is truly mourning the Hamas officials killed in the Israeli strike. These leaders know it, their hosts know it, and the public knows it. The trips are designed to send signals back home, appeasing audiences that expect defiance toward Israel while avoiding any meaningful confrontation with it.

For years, Qatar has played host to Hamas leaders, providing them with money, political cover, and a platform. That policy has now brought the war directly to Doha’s doorstep. To express solidarity with Qatar in this moment is, in effect, to stand with a regime that knowingly sheltered terrorist leaders.

Behind the smiles and handshakes lies a hard truth: these visits are stage-managed performances, not genuine diplomacy. They are aimed solely at shaping local public opinion, not at advancing peace or stability in the region.