Qatar Continues Funding Israeli NGO Amid Ongoing Security Investigation
Three years after the October 7 massacre, the security investigation into the alleged ties between Prime Minister Netanyahu's close advisors and Qatar, known as the "Qatar-gate" affair, remains ongoing. Meanwhile, the watchdog group "Shomrim" reveals that Qatar continues to channel funds to Israeli NGOs, with a sharp increase in transfers since 2023. One such NGO, the Haifa-based "Association for Arab Culture," received 17.8 million shekels in foreign donations from 2020 to 2025, over 95% of its income, mostly from a London-registered charity called The Galilee Foundation, which is primarily funded by Qatar.
The money flows from Doha to London and then to Haifa, facilitated by brothers Azmi and Marwan Bashara. Azmi Bashara, a former Knesset member who fled Israel amid a secret investigation for allegedly aiding Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War, lives in Qatar and co-founded the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed channel, promoting Qatari government narratives. His brother Marwan, based in England, is a regular commentator on Qatar's Al Jazeera network, which is banned in Israel. Azmi runs the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, which funds the British foundation chaired by Marwan. The foundation then donates to Israeli NGOs, including the Association for Arab Culture, co-founded by their late sister, Dr. Rawdat Bashara.
Financial analysis shows a steep rise in Qatari funding routed through this channel: from $181,000 in 2022 to $1.8 million in 2023, $2.1 million in 2024, and $1.6 million in 2025. The Doha-based center, with an annual budget of about 20 million shekels, has economic ties to the Qatari government, including funding a master's program. The London foundation also benefits from investment returns donated by the Emir of Qatar, supporting scholarship programs for Arab-Israeli students.
The Association for Arab Culture, with a 2025 budget of 3.3 million shekels (90% foreign donations), regularly files financial reports with Israel's Registrar of Associations and holds a "proper management" certification. However, it does not disclose Qatar or the Arab Center as sources, only listing the British foundation as a donor, which obscures the original Qatari funding source. The association organizes cultural events, Nakba commemorations, and awards scholarships named after the Bashara sister to hundreds of Arab-Israeli students, who must participate in workshops on Palestinian identity and history.
Experts from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) warn that while the funding methods may not be illegal, they effectively conceal the money's origin, resembling money laundering techniques. Former Strategic Affairs Ministry director Sima Vaknin-Gil describes Qatar's involvement in education, welfare, and academia as "soft power" aimed at promoting the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. She calls for redefining Qatar's status in Israeli law to enable stricter oversight and restrictions on its financial influence.
"Shomrim" previously exposed Qatar's extensive economic and security influence in Israel through holdings in energy, aviation, shipping, cyber, finance, and Iron Dome contractors. The Association for Arab Culture and The Galilee Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.
