Next Israeli gov’t will declare ‘violent, antisemitic’ Qatar an enemy state, Bennett says

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that Israel's next government will designate Qatar as an enemy state, calling it a 'violent antisemitic cancer' and a leading financier of Hamas terrorism. He accused Qatar of operating a global influence machine aimed at eliminating Israel, including through Al Jazeera.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference on Monday that Israel's next government will designate Qatar as an enemy state. Bennett described Qatar as a 'violent antisemitic cancer' that spreads metastases to the West and even to the Israeli prime minister's office, aiming to destroy Israel. He accused Qatar of being a leading financier of Islamist terrorism, particularly Hamas, whose hands are stained with the blood of many Israelis murdered, raped, burned, and abducted during the October 7 massacre. Bennett also claimed Qatar operates a global influence machine to eliminate Israel, funding Al Jazeera, which has been banned in Israel for inciting hatred. He lamented that no commission of inquiry into October 7 has been established, asserting that such a commission would have reached the same conclusion about Qatar's hostile role.