Former PM Bennett Vows to Declare Qatar an Enemy State if Elected

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared on Monday that if he is elected prime minister again, he will officially designate Qatar as an enemy state. Bennett made these remarks at the National Security Conference hosted by ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth in cooperation with the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He cited intelligence obtained during his previous term indicating that Qatar funded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Bennett described Qatar as a "violent antisemitic cancer" spreading its influence across the West, including within the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, with the aim of destroying Israel. He rejected the notion that Qatar is a complex actor requiring cautious engagement, stating that after the events of October 7, the situation is clear: Qatar is an enemy.

He accused Qatar of building an international influence network through funding American universities and operating the Al Jazeera network. Bennett also claimed that Qatar directly financed Hamas with one billion dollars in cash during Netanyahu’s tenure and that intelligence showed Qatar also funded Hamas and Jabhat al-Nusra. When asked if Netanyahu was aware of this intelligence, Bennett responded affirmatively.

Bennett further reiterated his "Octopus Doctrine," which he has promoted since 2017, emphasizing that Israel must focus on confronting Tehran, the "head of the octopus," rather than limiting its conflict to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.