Doha 12 (Charnes) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. Doha 12 is based on an actual event in which the Mossad used the names of real dual-national Israelis during an assassination operation. What would you do if you saw your name connected to a major crime in the news? What steps would you take to protect yourself? How do you think your friends and relatives might react?

2. Jake is compelled by circumstances to give up a low-paying job he loves to take a higher-paying job he’s good at, but doesn’t like. Have you ever been placed in that position? How did your decision work out for you in the long run? Would you do the same thing again?

3. Jake hides from Rinnah the nature of the threat against them. If you knew of such a threat to your family but were helpless to protect them, would you still tell them, and what would you say? Do you believe Jake’s feelings of guilt are justified, and if so, why? What do you think Jake should have done?

4. Late in the story, Jake wonders, “What kind of father am I?” (p. 326, paperback edition). How would you answer him? What, if anything, should he have done differently with Eve?

5. Do you believe that a woman can have the attitudes Miriam does and take the actions she does, and still be “womanly” or “feminine”? Do you think she would be a good substitute mother for Eve?

6. Under the same circumstances, would you do to Ziyad what Miriam does? If not, what would you do instead? How did her actions and their consequences change your view of torture?

7. Who do you see as the villains in Doha 12: the Mossad team, Alayan’s team, al-Shami’s team, some combination, or none of them? Explain why.

8. Discuss Alayan’s motives. Do you understand how he came to be what he is? Is he a patriot, a soldier, a terrorist, or some combination? Can someone such as he be a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

9. Compare Alayan’s and al-Shami’s tactics. What moral or ethical differences can you see? How might each one’s tactics be more effective than the other’s, and how might they be less effective?

10. Gur worries whether his Mossad team is a greater threat to Jake and Miriam than Hezbollah (p. 213, paperback edition). Why do you think he has that concern, and is it justified? To what extent should Gur’s team have protected the “Doha 12,” as opposed to concentrating entirely on stopping Alayan’s team?

11. Gur and Kelila become involved during the operation. Given the circumstances and their prior (unconsummated) attraction, do you think this is realistic? Contrast this with Jake’s and Miriam’s failure to act on their growing attraction. If you found yourself drawn to someone during a high-stress situation, would you act on that attraction if it seemed likely you might not get a chance afterward? Why or why not?

12. Real-world gunfights tend to be messy, confused actions, frightening to both participants and onlookers, in which far more shots miss than hit their targets. Did the author portray this reality effectively in the action sequences? Do you find this preferable to the usual Hollywood depiction of gunfights, and why/why not?

13. Are you familiar with any of the real-world locations that appear in Doha 12? If so, do you feel the author presented them effectively and made good use of them? What other locations could the author have used to greater effect, and how might that have changed the action or the story?

14. Consider the various fates of the principal characters. Which ones ended up the way you expected? Which ones had outcomes different from what you expected? If you could change one main character’s fate, whose would it be, and what would you change?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

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