Iran's Bid to Isolate Israel Backfires Amid Qatar's Actions at Baku Summit

An incident at a summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, has led to an embarrassing situation for Iran after the emir of Qatar took an unexpected action. Iran attempted to portray the speech of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) as a sign of Israel's diplomatic isolation. However, reports from Iranian media claiming the Qatari delegation demonstratively walked out were contradicted by eyewitness accounts stating the emir of Qatar remained in the hall and listened to Herzog's speech. The event occurred on October 15 during a CICA session in Baku. Prior to or at the beginning of Herzog's address, delegates from Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority reportedly left the conference hall. Qatar's stance drew particular attention, as the nation does not have diplomatic relations with Israel but plays a significant mediating role in regional conflicts. The Iranian newspaper Tehran Times reported that Qatar's delegation had joined the protest against Herzog. However, sources present at the conference offered a different account, stating that Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, did not leave the hall and remained seated, listening to the Israeli president's speech. This contradiction challenges the narrative of Qatar participating in a collective protest, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. It is possible that some Qatari delegates did leave, while the emir himself continued to attend the session. Doha had not issued official clarifications at the time of reporting. According to Ariel Admoni, an expert on regional policy, Tehran's motivation for this reporting might stem from its interest in maintaining relations with Qatar. Admoni suggests Iran benefits from portraying Doha as taking a harder line against Israel than it actually does, allowing Iran to justify its own cooperation with Qatar to its public. Qatar maintains ties with both Tehran and Western nations, positioning itself as a key mediator in regional security matters. However, this explanation of political motives remains an expert assessment, with no direct evidence that the Iranian newspaper acted under government orders. The Baku summit brought together leaders from nations with highly strained relationships. Notably, Herzog and the Iranian representative were seated on the same side of the negotiation table, separated by several attendees, while the emir of Qatar sat on the opposite side from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Despite the walkout by five delegations, Herzog's speech proceeded. The Qatari leader's behavior indicated a lack of unified opposition to such public protests, even among states without diplomatic ties to Israel. On the sidelines of the summit, Herzog also held discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding strategic cooperation and regional stability. Additionally, Herzog met with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdel Latif al-Zayani to discuss regional ties and the Abraham Accords. Further attention was drawn to Herzog's arrival in Azerbaijan, as he traveled on a commercial flight operated by AZAL, Azerbaijan's national airline, which transited through Turkish airspace despite existing restrictions on Israeli government aircraft. A Turkish source indicated that Ankara was not informed of Herzog's presence on board, and the flight operated under commercial aviation regulations. Turkey was represented at the summit by its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose delegation was among those that left the hall before Herzog's speech.