Representatives from Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority walked out of President Isaac Herzog's Thursday speech at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
At the same time, questions arose about the reported behavior of the Qatari delegation. The Iranian newspaper Tehran Times claimed the Qatari delegation also exited the hall, while eyewitnesses at the conference said the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, remained in his seat and listened to Herzog's remarks.
The summit was attended by senior representatives from Asian and Middle Eastern nations, including countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
Turkey was represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the Palestinian Authority by its foreign minister, Kuwait by its deputy foreign minister, Iran by its deputy minister for legal and International affairs, and Pakistan by its ambassador to Azerbaijan.
Representatives from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates remained in the hall. The decision of the Emir of Qatar to remain seated drew particular attention due to the absence of formal diplomatic ties between Doha and Jerusalem, as well as Qatar's role in mediating sensitive regional issues.
Discrepancy between Iranian media, eyewitness accounts
The discrepancy between the Iranian media report and eyewitness accounts raises questions regarding Iran's motivation in framing Qatar's actions toward Israel.
The original text of the Iranian report has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear whether it referred to the Emir himself or to other delegation members. Other members of the Qatari delegation may have left while the Emir stayed. As of now, no official statement has been issued by Qatar to reconcile the contrasting accounts.
Dr. Ariel Admoni of Ariel University, Bar-Ilan University, and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security noted that the Iranian newspaper's framing reflects the delicate relationship between Doha and Tehran.
Within this framework, Iran relies on Qatari mediation and thus seeks to portray Qatar as taking a more anti-Israel stance than its actual policy dictates, enabling Iran to maintain public relations with Doha.
From Tehran's perspective, Qatar is a crucial regional partner, largely because it can engage with actors with whom Iran cannot maintain direct contact. Portraying Doha as taking a firm public stance against Israel helps the Iranian regime justify its ongoing ties with Qatar to both the Iranian public and anti-Israel factions.
This analysis serves as an explanatory interpretation of a potential narrative motive and does not constitute proof that the report was directly dictated by authorities in Tehran.
Qatar maintains close ties with Tehran, mediates with Washington
Qatar maintains close ties with Tehran, keeps open communication channels with the United States and Western governments, and plays a mediating role between opposing sides. The Qatari Emir refrained from joining the public protest against Herzog's speech.
The summit brought together representatives of nations engaged in severe political conflict. According to the seating chart, Herzog and the Iranian representative sat on the same side of the conference table, separated by four seats, including those of the foreign ministers of Turkey and Bahrain. The Emir of Qatar was seated on the other side of the host President, Ilham Aliyev.
During his diplomatic visit to Azerbaijan, Herzog met with President Ilham Aliyev to discuss strengthening strategic relations and regional stability. Herzog also met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani to discuss expanding regional cooperation and the Abraham Accords.
Azerbaijan maintains close relations with Israel while also preserving diplomatic ties with Turkey and Iran.
The visit also drew attention in Turkey after it emerged that Herzog arrived in Baku aboard a flight operated by Azerbaijan's national carrier, AZAL, which flew through Turkish airspace despite restrictions on Israeli government aircraft. A Turkish official stated that Ankara was not informed that the Herzog was aboard the aircraft.
Herzog departed Israel on Wednesday via a commercial Boeing 787 flight operated by AZAL. Overflight through Turkish airspace was permitted under standard commercial flight regulations, which differ from the restrictions applied to Israeli state aircraft.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not attend the summit; his country was represented by Foreign Minister Fidan, whose delegation was among those that walked out prior to Herzog's address.