Trump Signs EO Vowing to Defend Qatar  10/02 06:30

   U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order vowing to use all 
measures including U.S. military action to defend the energy-rich nation of 
Qatar -- though it remains unclear just what weight the pledge will carry.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has signed 
an executive order vowing to use all measures including U.S. military action to 
defend the energy-rich nation of Qatar -- though it remains unclear just what 
weight the pledge will carry.

   The text of the order, available Wednesday on the White House's website but 
dated Monday, appears to be another measure by Trump to assure the Qataris 
following Israel's surprise attack on the country targeting Hamas leaders as 
they weighed accepting a ceasefire with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip.

   The order cites the two countries' "close cooperation" and "shared 
interest," vowing to "guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the 
state of Qatar against external attack."

   "The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, 
sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the state of Qatar as a threat to the 
peace and security of the United States," the order says.

   "In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and 
appropriate measures -- including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, 
military -- to defend the interests of the United States and of the state of 
Qatar and to restore peace and stability."

   Order follows Netanyahu apology call

   The order apparently came during a visit to Washington on Monday by Israeli 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump organized a call by Netanyahu to Qatar 
during the visit in which Netanyahu "expressed his deep regret" over the strike 
that killed six people, including a member of the Qatari security forces, the 
White House said.

   Qatar's Foreign Ministry described the U.S. pledge as "an important step in 
strengthening the two countries' close defense partnership." The Qatari-funded 
Al Jazeera satellite news network declared: "New Trump executive order 
guarantees Qatar security after Israeli attack."

   Trump also spoke on the phone later Wednesday to Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh 
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a White House official who was not 
authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

   The White House did not release details about the call, though Qatar later 
said the two men spoke about Doha's efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 
Israel-Hamas war.

   The true scope of the pledge by the U.S. remains in question. Typically, 
legally binding agreements, or treaties, need to receive the approval of the 
U.S. Senate. However, presidents have entered international agreements without 
the Senate's approval, like President Barack Obama did with Iran's 2015 nuclear 
deal with world powers.

   And ultimately, any decision to take military action rests with the 
president. That uncertainty has clouded previous U.S. defense agreements in 
Trump's second term, like NATO's Article 5 guarantees.

   The order drew criticism after becoming public. Laura Loomer, a right-wing 
provocateur known for her incendiary social media presence who has been a 
fixture of Trump's second term, wrote on the social platform X: "I don't want 
to die for Qatar. Do you?"

   The Wall Street Journal's editorial board also questioned the deal.

   "This is a decision that can be and should have been debated," they wrote. 
"Instead it comes out of the blue -- an executive order following no public 
debate."

   Qatar order comes as Gulf Arabs reassess their security

   Qatar, a peninsular nation that sticks out into the Persian Gulf, became 
fantastically wealthy through its natural gas reserves. It has been a key 
partner of the U.S. military, allowing its Central Command to have its forward 
operating base at its vast Al Udeid Air Base.

   U.S. President Joe Biden named Qatar as a major non-NATO ally in 2022, in 
part due to its help during America's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. And 
Qatar has maintained close ties to Trump, whether through a real estate project 
with his eponymous Trump Organization to offering the president a Boeing 747 to 
use as Air Force One.

   In the aftermath of the Israeli attack, Saudi Arabia entered a mutual 
defense agreement with Pakistan, bringing the kingdom under Islamabad's nuclear 
umbrella. It's unclear whether other Gulf Arab countries, both worried about 
Israel and Iran as it faces reimposed United Nations sanctions over its nuclear 
program, may seek similar arrangements as well with the region's longtime 
security guarantor.

   "The Gulf's centrality in the Middle East and its significance to the United 
States warrants specific U.S. guarantees beyond President Donald J. Trump's 
assurances of nonrepetition and dinner meetings," wrote Bader al-Saif, a 
history professor at Kuwait University who analyzes Gulf Arab affairs.