The Jimmy Dore Show — September 12, 2025

Episode Title: Israel’s BRAZEN Attack On QATAR & Hamas Peace Negotiators!
Host: Jimmy Dore
Guests/Panel: Kurt, Nick Cruz, Zoran Mandami (clips/interview)
Running Theme: Exposing the contradictions and underlying motives of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy, the episode focuses on Israel's unprecedented bombing in Qatar during Hamas ceasefire negotiations, U.S. complicity, the collapse of diplomatic trust, and wider critiques of progressive U.S. politics.

Episode Overview

Jimmy Dore dissects the shockwaves from Israel's airstrike on a diplomatic gathering in Doha, Qatar, where Hamas leaders—invited under U.S. auspices to discuss a ceasefire—were targeted. The conversation explores the implications for peace in Gaza, U.S.–Israel relations, regional stability, and the utter failure of diplomatic conventions. The show also pulls out the broader through-line of U.S. hypocrisy in foreign policy, a pattern of using diplomacy as bait for assassinations, and disillusionment with the supposed progressive champions in American politics.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Israel’s Airstrike on Qatar During Hamas Peace Talks

• Incident Recap:
  Israel bombed a building in Doha, Qatar, aiming to kill Hamas negotiators who had gathered to discuss a U.S.-proposed ceasefire. The strikes killed several people, including the son of a Hamas leader and a Qatari officer, but not the top Hamas officials present.
  "They were having meetings to try to end the war... and what did Israel do? They bombed it, tried to kill all the people who were there to negotiate." (Jimmy Dore, 01:00)
• U.S. Role and Contradictions:
  Qatar had hosted the Hamas representatives at the request of the U.S., with the tacit or explicit approval of both the U.S. and Israel.
  "So there is a Hamas office in Qatar, but that's at the urging of the United States to please have that office." (Jimmy Dore, 02:18)
• Timing & Political Fallout:
  The U.S. and Trump administration gave conflicting stories: the White House claimed Qatar was warned in advance, but Qatari officials said warning came only after the explosions began.
  "The attack happened at 3:46. The first call we had from an American official was at 3:56, which is 10 minutes after the attack." (Qatar Official, 08:44)

2. Diplomatic Norms Broken & Precedents Set

• Assault on Peace Negotiators:
  Attacking a diplomatic peace meeting is framed as a new low for international relations, worse even than the worst moments of medieval history.
  "Even the Mongols... understood that killing envoys was idiotic because it makes everyone less safe. And then you can never get to a peace deal." (Jimmy Dore, 18:54)
• Permanent Damage to U.S. Credibility:
  The strike signals to the world that negotiating with the U.S. (and Israel by proxy) is tantamount to signing your own death warrant.
  "Engaging in diplomacy with the United States is now worse than useless. It's actually fatal. Which is a precedent that's bad for everyone." (Arnault, via Jimmy, 17:43)

3. The “Greater Israel Project” & Destabilization Agenda

• Historical & Geopolitical Analysis:
  Dore frames the bombing and Israel's broader war posture as part of the "Greater Israel Project"—a decades-old plan to redraw the Middle East to Israel's benefit by occupying Gaza, the West Bank, and potentially other territories. "They want to take over Gaza completely and the west bank and parts of Syria, Lebanon, parts of Iran, Egypt. It's called the Greater Israel Project." (Jimmy Dore, 01:00)
• US/Israeli Pattern of Betraying Diplomacy:
  Frequent references to the U.S. using negotiations as pretexts to assassinate, with examples ranging from Iran (Soleimani) and Libya (Gaddafi) to now Qatar/Hamas. "This is becoming the Trump signature move. The same modus operandi he used with Iran, now deployed against Hamas..." (Jimmy Dore, 16:45)

4. Collapse of Trust in International Mediation

• No Safe Space for Talks:
  Analysis stresses the impossibility of peace negotiations if the fate of diplomats is assassination. "No one's ever going to enter into a peace negotiation again with the United States because they're going to fear they're going to be bombed." (Jimmy Dore, 17:38)

5. U.S. Military Imperialism & “Cartel” Justification

• Pivot to Venezuela:
  The latter third of the episode turns to U.S. military actions in Venezuela, drawing a direct parallel to Middle East interventions:
  "So now the new Hamas is now cartel..." (Jimmy Dore, 41:07)
• General Laura Richardson (U.S. Southern Command) Candidly Admits U.S. Strategic Interest:
  "It has a lot to do with national security and we need to step up our game..." (White House/Trump Administration Spokesperson, 49:33)
• Drug War as Pretext for Control:
  Dore and Kurt highlight how rhetoric about the “cartels” and drug traffickers provides cover for attempts at regime change and resource extraction.

Progressive Disillusionment: Critiques Within Left Politics

6. Panel on “Liberal Zionism” and Progressive Sell-Outs

• Bernie Sanders’ Advice and the Zoran Mandami Dilemma
  Critiques focus on how progressive politicians water down advocacy for Palestinian rights to avoid offending Jewish constituents or the Democratic establishment. "Bernie Sanders says that Zoramdani needs to be more considerate of Jewish people's feelings when he talk about the issue of Israel at a time where Israel is slaughtering Palestinians and starving them to death." (Nick Cruz, 26:10)
• Disappointment With New Left Figures:
  Skepticism over Mandami, comparing him to Obama and AOC as figures who don’t fundamentally challenge establishment power or make real change. "No matter who you vote for, you get John McCain... I want Mandabi to be the guy he says he's got. He's not going to be that guy." (Jimmy Dore, 34:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Diplomatic Betrayal:
  "When the US is failing a moral test that the Mongol Empire passed, it's time to ask ourselves a few questions. So we're worse than the Mongols..." (Jimmy Dore, 19:17)
• On U.S. Imperial Consistency:
  "No matter who you vote for, you get John McCain." (Several times throughout)
• On Resource Wars:
  "Why does this region matter? Because of their natural resources. They just say it out loud." (Jimmy Dore, 51:41)
• On Progressive Figures:
  "Any true socialist leader would love to take these questions and educate people on why we should support Palestinians right to self determination. Zoran didn't do this, of course, because he is not a leader. He is a careerist who can't wait to sell you out." (Jimmy Dore reading Nick Cruz, 32:08)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-----------|--------------| | 01:00 | Introduction to Israel's airstrike on Hamas peace negotiations in Qatar | | 02:18 | U.S. asked Qatar to host Hamas for diplomatic purposes | | 04:16 | Trump Administration's official response and spin | | 08:44 | Qatari official: U.S. warned Qatar after the attack started | | 17:38 | Discussion: U.S. now seen as untrustworthy/prone to killing negotiators | | 19:17 | "Worse than the Mongols" comparison | | 26:10 | Nick Cruz critiques Bernie Sanders, Zoran Mandami, and the progressive movement | | 34:55 | Extended riff on Democratic establishment failures | | 37:59 | Overview of U.S. global military bases and regions of intervention | | 49:33 | General Laura Richardson spells out U.S. motives in South America | | 51:41 | What U.S. policy is "really" about: resource extraction |

Tone & Style

• Raw, profane, and direct:
  Jimmy Dore and his guests pull no punches in assigning blame and using dark humor or outright sarcasm to expose perceived hypocrisy and aggression.
• Cynical but passionate:
  The tone combines moral outrage, world-weary sarcasm, and frequent laughter at the bleak predictability of U.S. and Israeli actions.
• Deeply skeptical of mainstream narratives
  The hosts distrust official statements from the U.S. and Israeli governments or the "liberal" establishment, consistently exposing double standards.

Takeaway

Jimmy Dore argues that Israel's bombing of peace talks in Qatar, with tacit or direct U.S. approval, is a new low in modern diplomacy—one that destroys the possibility of future negotiations and exposes the U.S. as a serial betrayer of both international law and its own promises. This pattern recurs globally, as "cartels" in Venezuela take the place of "terrorists" in the Middle East, always serving as pretexts for imperial control and resource extraction. Meanwhile, even progressive American politicians prove unwilling or unable to fundamentally oppose these agendas.

"No one's ever going to enter into a peace negotiation again with the United States because they're going to fear they're going to be bombed." (Jimmy Dore, 17:38)