Qatar PM Accuses Netanyahu of War Crimes, Defends Doha's Role

Qatar's Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has launched a strong condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeling him a "war criminal" and accusing Israel of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Speaking in an interview with Piers Morgan, Al Thani responded to Netanyahu's UN speech, where the Israeli leader accused Qatar of funding universities and media outlets. The Qatari PM asserted that Netanyahu was "gaslighting" the public and projecting his own actions onto Qatar to influence the US administration.

Al Thani also vehemently rejected claims by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that Qatar is an enemy state. He clarified that Qatar's lobbying efforts are purely for defensive purposes, not for funding students. He further criticized Israel's attack on Qatar while Doha was mediating a Trump proposal, calling it a dangerous precedent of attacking a mediator.

Addressing the war with Iran, the Prime Minister described it as an "earthquake" reshaping global warfare and economics. He revealed he was in his bed in Doha and received a call from the White House only about 30 minutes before the US campaign began, with Qatar itself being attacked less than an hour later. He expressed deep disappointment with the short notice, which he claimed prevented any diplomatic solution, and condemned the Iranian attack on his country despite Qatar's attempts to prevent the war.

Despite the direct confrontation, Al Thani emphasized that Iran will always be Qatar's neighbor, with relations based on mutual respect, even with significant disagreements like in Syria, where Iran supported Assad while Qatar opposed him. He acknowledged that neither he nor any other foreign government has direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and is uncertain if he is alive, but stated that contacts are effectively managed through official channels with the President, Foreign Minister, and National Security Council.

The war has had a severe economic impact on Qatar, with the Prime Minister confirming an 8% economic contraction, an 80% drop in tourism, 60% hotel vacancy rates, and a loss of approximately $24 billion in revenue. He confirmed that liquefied natural gas exports are severely hampered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, only possible through buyers assuming the risk of transit. However, he remained resolute, calling for a diplomatic or legal solution to ensure freedom of navigation and recalling Qatar's past financial struggles in 1996 and 1997, asserting that sovereign wealth funds and institutional resilience will enable the country to overcome the current temporary crisis.

Regarding regional mediation, Al Thani completely denied accusations of an alliance between Qatar and Hamas. He stressed that conflict resolution is a historic pillar of Qatari policy, citing interventions in Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Gaza. Despite the cost of peace and domestic calls for non-involvement, he affirmed the leadership's determination to continue mediating for regional stability. Finally, he implicitly criticized former President Donald Trump and the influence of social media on diplomacy, explaining that inflammatory statements undermine mediation efforts and advising the president to "cool down" public remarks, stating that effective diplomacy requires closed-door conduct away from the media spotlight.