Bennett says Qatar a more dangerous enemy to Israel than Iran right now

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett described Qatar as “more dangerous” to Israel at the moment than Iran during an interview aired Saturday, while again vowing to declare the Gulf emirate an enemy state if elected into government later this year.

Speaking to Channel 12’s Meet the Press, the Together party leader explained his reasoning, saying that “with Iran, everyone knows that [it says], ‘We’ll destroy Israel.'”

But Qatar, he said, “funded the Nukhba terrorists of October 7 [2023]… Qatar operates Al Jazeera, which is the most poisonous cancer hurting us… Qatar reaches places of influence in American universities… And most importantly, [it has access] to the most sacred place for the security of Israel — that is the office of the prime minister of Israel.”

This was an apparent reference to the so-called Qatargate scandal, in which former and current aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including senior aide Jonatan Urich, are alleged to have taken money to spearhead a public relations campaign to cast Qatar in a positive light for over a year after the October 7 Hamas onslaught.

Qatar “works against us and poisons us from within,” Bennett said, fuming that Israel does not define Qatar as an enemy state.

Therefore, “according to the law today, anybody can work for Qatar. You can be an agent for Qatar,” he said. “The most dangerous enemy to Israel is not defined as an enemy [state].”

Many in Israel are on Qatar’s payroll, he claimed. “There are research institutes in Israel, there are influencers in Israel, and maybe also officials in Israel who are on Qatar’s payroll.”

“In the next government, we will define Qatar as an enemy,” he vowed, saying that it is “unforgivable” that this is not already the case.

The comments marked the second time in days that Bennett hit out at Qatar, after he told a security conference on Monday that “the leaders of Qatar have a goal of eliminating Israel, period.”

“There are people who call it a ‘complicated state’ – it’s not complicated; after October 7, nothing is complicated here. Qatar is an enemy. It’s simple,” he said at the conference.

Those remarks sparked condemnation from Doha, with the Qatari Embassy in Washington accusing Bennett of “spreading disinformation about Qatar in an attempt to further his own political ambitions.”

Bennett has previously called the Qatargate affair “the most serious act of treason in Israeli history.”

Bennett was also asked about the recent developments in the Gaza Strip, namely the Hamas acceptance of the US-backed Board of Peace’s disarmament plan, which would see Israeli forces pull back from positions in Gaza as the Palestinian terror organization lays down its weapons and transfers control of the enclave to a technocratic body.

Netanyahu has yet to comment, but statements attributed to a “senior Israeli official” have said that Israel does not approve of the plan and accordingly will not withdraw.

“The situation in the Gaza Strip will be judged by the result,” Bennett said when asked about his opinion of the deal’s terms.

“As far as I’m concerned, until Hamas completely disarms, I’m not giving a millimeter to anyone — no concessions,” he said.

He also warned that Hamas has been working to rearm, saying that the terror group has more operatives now than it had before the October 2023 attack. “These are the facts on the ground,” he asserted.

“They have recruited terrorists, they smuggle drones and weapons out of Egypt, and they are getting stronger before our eyes,” he claimed.

Turning to the upcoming election, which is scheduled for October 27, Bennett said that his “life’s mission” is to replace the current government, regardless of whether he serves as the next prime minister.

Bennett, who joined forces with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to form their new Together slate, has fallen well behind Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot as the main contender to defeat Netanyahu.

“The government should be diverse with a Zionist right, a Zionist left, religious Zionists, secular Zionists, whose common denominator is to make amends,” he said, adding that he and Eisenkot would come to an agreement on a future coalition after the elections.

Until then, he said he wants to concentrate his efforts on winning enough seats that will allow the Zionist opposition parties, meaning without Haredi or Arab parties, to form a government.

A recent poll by The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Yisrael, predicted — like almost all recent polls — that neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the Zionist opposition would secure the 61-seat majority needed to form a government, though much is yet to change with many voters still undecided.

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