Qatar issued a statement Wednesday morning responding to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's accusations, saying Doha has advanced ceasefires and hostage releases. Bennett responded by reiterating that Qatar bears responsibility for the October 7 massacre.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Qatar traded barbs Wednesday morning, as Doha responded to Bennett's accusations that it bears responsibility for the October 7 massacre. Qatar cited its role in mediating ceasefires and hostage releases. Bennett reiterated his position, saying Qatar is 'responsible for the massacre.' The exchange follows Bennett's Tuesday evening call, as reported by The Zioneer, to designate Qatar an enemy state.
On Tuesday evening (20:35 Jerusalem), Qatar's embassy in Washington condemned Bennett's earlier call to designate Qatar an enemy state. Bennett responded by accusing Qatar of funding the October 7 massacre, hosting terrorist leaders, and celebrating the attack. He reiterated his call to declare Qatar an enemy state, stating that 'Qatar is an enemy, and we will declare it as such.' The Zioneer tracked these developments across multiple updates Tuesday evening.
As The Zioneer has reported, Qatar has positioned itself as a key mediator in hostage and ceasefire negotiations, including in Gaza. At the same time, Israeli officials, including Bennett, have long accused Qatar of complicity in the October 7 massacre due to its funding and hosting of Hamas leaders. The backdrop includes Qatar's role as a regional broker, with The Zioneer previously reporting on Qatar's condemnation of an Iranian attack on its LNG tanker and its diplomatic efforts to implement the Gaza ceasefire.
The accusations remain at the level of political statements. There has been no official Israeli government response to Bennett's call to designate Qatar an enemy state, and the Qatari statement did not address the specific allegations of funding Hamas.
4 developments
- StrongBennett: 'Netanyahu tenure began with civil war, continued with Oct. 7, ends with failure against Iran'
- StrongBennett accuses Qatar of 'metastasizing' to the West and the Prime Minister's office
- StrongBennett says 70% of Palestinians back massacre, calls for doubling living standards
- StrongQatar's PM again accuses Israel of overreacting to Lebanon cross-border fire
Source and signal
- Open-source intake