The Quiet Betrayal Behind the Gaza War Based on Reporting by The Washington Post

By Mohamad Hammoud

Lebanon – While Arab leaders condemned “Israel” in public, leaked US documents show their militaries were secretly aligning with it under American command.

While Arab leaders thundered at the United Nations about “Israel’s” “genocidal war” in Gaza, their generals were quietly meeting with “Israeli” officers under American supervision. According to The Washington Post, leaked US defense documents reveal that even as Gaza burned, senior military officials from “Israel” and six Arab countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—held planning sessions coordinated by US Central Command [CENTCOM]. Their goal was not to defend Palestinians but to form a joint front against Iran.

The leaks confirmed what many in the Arab world long suspected: that public outrage over Gaza concealed a quiet alignment with “Israel”. Documents obtained by The Post and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists describe Arab and “Israeli” officers meeting in Bahrain and Qatar to plan operations, share intelligence, and conduct tunnel-destruction trainings modeled on “Israel’s” war against Hamas. At one 2024 meeting in Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base—a central US installation—“Israeli” officers were flown in discreetly, bypassing civilian airports to avoid exposure.

Public Condemnation, Private Cooperation

These meetings took place even as Arab diplomats condemned “Israel’s” siege. The Qatari emir told the UN “Israel” was waging “a genocidal war”, and Saudi Arabia accused it of “ethnic cleansing”. Yet, as The Washington Post revealed, both were part of a US-led “Regional Security Construct” binding them militarily to “Israel”. Behind closed doors, Arab officers sat beside representatives of the very state their governments blamed for starving Gaza.

Leaked files show Iran was the alliance’s unifying threat. CENTCOM labeled Tehran and its allies the “Axis of Evil,” shifting focus from Palestine’s occupation to Iran’s influence. That framing justified new defense networks linking “Israel” and Arab states under US command. One slide mapped Iranian missile ranges; another outlined a shared radar grid—folding Arab militaries into “Israel’s” air-defense system.

The Hidden Air Network and the Doha Strike

A Washington Post briefing cited that six of seven partner nations already received partial regional air data through US War Department systems, and two were sharing radar feeds via a US Air Force squadron. They were also linked to a US-run secure chat for direct contact with American military officials.

Yet this network failed to protect Qatar when “Israel” struck Doha on September 9, targeting Hamas figures. US radar and satellites gave no warning, Lt. Gen. Derek France said, because they were “focused on Iran and other [areas] where we expect an attack”. Qatar also confirmed its radar missed the launches.

Though Qatar and Saudi Arabia lack formal ties with “Israel”, CENTCOM files showed their quiet cooperation. A May 2024 security conference at al-Udeid Air Base revealed the depth of those ties, with “Israeli” officials holding bilateral meetings with every attending Arab delegation.

A Fragile Alliance and a Moral Collapse

The partnership’s hypocrisy was laid bare after the Doha strike, which killed Hamas leaders but violated Qatari sovereignty. Under US pressure, Netanyahu apologized—but the damage was done. Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told The Washington Post the episode revealed “a moral collapse in US policy: a key member of the American effort has attacked another, with America seen as complacent, complicit or blind”. It was a double betrayal—of diplomacy and of the Palestinians, whose suffering was buried under a US-“Israeli”-Arab agenda.

Even as Gaza lay in ruins, CENTCOM pressed on. The Post reported US plans for a “Combined Middle East Cyber Center” and “Information Fusion Center” to coordinate messaging among allies. Their goal was to counter Iran’s claim of defending Palestinians and to “promote a partner narrative of regional prosperity and cooperation”. The irony was stark: as Gaza bled, Arab leaders helped script a façade of peace built on silence and self-interest.

The Betrayal of Palestine

A former US military official told The Post that Arab militaries admired “Israel’s” power, convinced that “the ‘Israelis’ can do whatever they want, whenever they want, without detection”. That quiet respect—more than solidarity with Palestine—now defines the region’s new order. As “Israel” and Hamas enter a fragile ceasefire overseen partly by Arab soldiers who once denounced “Israel”, the contradiction is laid bare.

Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa said Gulf states face a dilemma: they fear an unrestrained “Israel” yet depend on the US for protection. In choosing security over principle, they crossed a moral threshold. What began as pragmatism has become complicity.

The leaked documents expose not only a military pact but a moral rupture—a betrayal wrapped in secrecy and justified by necessity. For Palestinians, Gaza’s tragedy is not only what “Israel” did, but what the Arab world allowed.