Qatar to Netanyahu: "We hosted Hamas terrorists as part of our role as mediators"

A senior Qatari official responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN, offering an excuse for hosting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, claiming that Qatar served as a mediator between Hamas and Israel. The Qatari deputy ambassador argued that Qatar's mediation role was described by American officials as critical, and rejected Netanyahu's accusations.

A senior Qatari official responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN, offering an excuse for hosting senior Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha. The Qatari deputy ambassador claimed that Qatar served as a communication channel and mediator in negotiations involving Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Egypt. According to him, American officials repeatedly described Qatar's mediation role as critical or essential. The Qatari official also attempted to explain the funding of higher education institutions across the United States, arguing that the funding supported the operation of American university campuses in Education City and brought American higher education to the Middle East. The remarks were published following Netanyahu's UN speech, in which he attacked Qatar for hosting senior Hamas leaders. The article quotes a tweet by the Qatari official on X, in which he claims that Netanyahu spoke to a half-empty room, indicating a lack of support for his message.