Gulf leaders urge White House to rein in Israel after Qatar attack

Gulf leaders at an emergency summit in Qatar have called on Washington to use its leverage to rein in Israel after its unprecedented attempt to assassinate Hamas negotiators meeting in Doha.

- Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Speaking after the session of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the group's secretary general, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, said: "We expect our strategic partners in the US to use their influence on Israel in order for it to stop this behaviour.

"They have leverage and influence on Israel, and it's about time that this leverage and influence was used."

The strike last Tuesday, which killed five Hamas officials, was denounced yesterday by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim, as "a cowardly and treacherous attack on Qatar's sovereignty". He said: "Israel claims it's a democracy surrounded by enemies when it's in fact a colonial occupation carrying out crimes without limit."