Matt Bevan

It turns out hosting a US military headquarters isn't a great insurance policy if the US president doesn't know it exists.

Thankfully, Trump had some people in his cabinet who were aware of the significance of Qatar.

A group of Trump cabinet officials informally referred to as the Axis of Adults basically ignored his instructions and shored up the relationship with Qatar.

Eventually, the blockade was eased and officially ended in the early months of the Biden administration.

Qatar didn't cave in to any of the Saudi demands.

They survived the blockade with their strategy intact, and their importance as a location for resolving disputes between enemies only increased.

Following the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel,

Qatar was the only mediator able to get both sides to the table for ceasefire and hostage release negotiations.

With officials in Doha insisting talks can continue if both Israel and Hamas show a willingness to negotiate in good faith.

In a world ruled by rational people, you need a safe place for those people to be able to talk to each other while they sort out key differences.

Somewhere bitter enemies can come and sit at a table and try and find common ground without worrying they're going to get poisoned or stabbed in the middle of the night.

Qatar was that place.

But then Donald Trump returned to the White House and things started changing.

A brazen attack in Qatar's capital.

Israeli forces targeting Hamas's political headquarters in a residential area of Doha.

Decades spent shoring up their position as an important ally of the West had failed to protect Qatar from Israeli airstrikes.

Hamas's political leadership had reportedly gathered in Doha to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

It wasn't the first time that Hamas's leadership had been in Qatar to talk with the Americans and Israelis, but Bibi Netanyahu saw an opportunity this time to strike without any fear of ramifications.

The Qatari government called it state terrorism.

Any other US president would have been furious.