In 2022, President Biden designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA), a designation that grants Washington’s foreign partners several benefits in areas concerning defence trade and security cooperation. 

Qatar is among several Arab countries invited by the United States to attend the upcoming NATO Summit, scheduled to take place in Washington, DC between Tuesday and Thursday.

Other Arab countries expected to attend the summit, which is set to mark the NATO’s 75th anniversary, include Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The countries are among some 31 NATO partners invited to attend by U.S. President Joe Biden.

According to the Financial Times, the foreign ministers of the partner countries will not participate in the official NATO meetings, but will attend sideline events including the anniversary dinner.

In 2022, President Biden designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA), a designation that grants Washington’s foreign partners several benefits in areas concerning defence trade and security cooperation. 

Qatar became the third Gulf country to be added to the list of 18 current MNNA’s, which already included Bahrain and Kuwait.

Last year’s edition of the summit took place in Vilnius, where discussions centred around the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, a key issue of concern for the alliance. This year’s edition is taking place amid Israel’s ongoing onslaught of the Gaza Strip, which has entered its tenth month.

The war has revealed a divide within the alliance, something that would be highlighted at the upcoming summit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the commander-in-chief of NATO’s second-largest army, will likely call on Israel’s Western backers to exert their efforts to halt the war in the Gaza Strip.

According to Turkish media, the summit will also witness a rare in-person meeting between Erdogan and Biden. The Turkish president has been critical over the Western support of Israel and has taken a hard stance against Tel Aviv and its backers since the start of the war.

On Sunday, Erdogan said that “Israel should stop dragging its feet to cease these massacres and end these inhumane attacks.”

“It is essential that the international community, particularly Western countries, exert more pressure on Israel to that extent. Israel is the only side insisting on attacks and massacres. It is the only side violating human rights, trampling on international law,” he added.

Meanwhile, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. have been at the forefront of efforts aimed at reaching a captives release and ceasefire deal.

While Qatar does not share diplomatic ties with Israel, it has hosted the Hamas political office at Washington’s request since 2012 to maintain an open channel of communication in such mediation efforts.

Last November, Qatar and Egypt mediated a week-long truce that resulted in the release of 109 Israeli captives out of 251 held by Hamas. 

Mediation efforts have since stalled amid Israel’s refusal to end the war while vowing to eliminate the Palestinian movement—an objective that many analysts say is not realistic.

Two Israeli sources told Axios on Saturday that CIA director Bill Burns is reportedly returning to Qatar this week to jumpstart negotiations over a captives release and ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.