Overview

• The order states the United States will treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to U.S. peace and security and may respond with diplomatic, economic, or military measures.
• Dated Sept. 29 and made public this week, the move elevates Qatar toward near‑NATO treatment in practice without creating a binding mutual defense pact.
• The decision followed a Sept. 9 Israeli strike in Doha that killed a Qatari security official and led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize to the Qatari emir.
• Qatar welcomed the step as reflecting strong ties; it hosts the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base and has long served as a mediator while also hosting a Hamas political office.
• Conservative critics, including National Review’s editors, denounced the order as beyond presidential authority, and some commentary questioned the optics in light of Qatar’s gift of a plane to the United States.