What Doha delivered: Diplomacy beyond the podium

The Doha summit stands as a potent act of collective diplomacy

- By P.M. Amza

WHEN Qatar hosted the Arab-Islamic emergency summit on 15 September 2025—just days after an Israeli strike in Doha killed Hamas leaders and a Qatari officer—expectations were high. Could this gathering produce more than a chorus of protest speeches? Would it reshape regional alignments, force policy shifts, or deepen legal and military responses? As the dustset-tles, Doha emerges asa significant diplomatic moment that combined high symbolism with cautious substance.

The frst measure of success lay in the breadth of participation. Qatar secured an impressive roster of leaders from across the Arab and Islamicworlds. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Iraq’ Prime Minister Mohammed Shia'al-Sudani and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifall arrived in person. For Qatar, whose sovereignty had been directly violated, such high-level attendance signalled a powerful endorsement ofits grievance and a clear message of regional solidarity

Equally significant was the presence of countries that maintain formal tes with Israel. Senior delegations from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco—states that had joined the Abraham Accords—added ‘weight to the gathering.‘ Their decision to endorse a communiqué critical of israel and to consider a"review of diplomaticand economic ties” reflected a subtle but important shiftin the regional conversation. By convening the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in tandem with the Gulf Cooperation Councils Supreme Council, Qatar censured that the summit carried institutional legitimacy beyond a one-off protest meeting.