Qatar has reprimanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he allegedly criticized the Gulf country’s mediating role in the Gaza war, calling it “problematic” in a leaked recording.
At a meeting this week with families of prisoners held in Gaza, Netanyahu accused Qatar of funding Hamas and expressed dissatisfaction with the United States’ decision to extend the presence of a military base in the Gulf state, according to Israeli information. Channel 12 output.
“These remarks, if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to efforts to save innocent lives, but are not surprising,” Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a statement on Wednesday. a message on X.
We are dismayed by alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media outlets regarding Qatar’s mediation role. If validated, these remarks are irresponsible and destructive to efforts to save innocent lives, but not surprising.
For months, and…
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) January 24, 2024
Qatar, alongside Egypt, has repeatedly engaged in negotiations to broker a truce in Gaza and secure the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. In November, he helped secure a week-long pause in the fighting during which more than 100 captives were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
The Gulf state remains involved in negotiations aimed at reaching a new deal for the release of around 130 prisoners still held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
Al-Ansari said Netanyahu’s leaked comments were detrimental to those efforts.
“If the reported remarks prove true, the Israeli Prime Minister would only obstruct and undermine the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritizing saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” he said.
“No different from the UN”
Netanyahu, in his reportedly leaked remarks, told the captives’ families that he intentionally did not thank Qatar for its mediation efforts, saying it could put more pressure on Hamas.
“You don’t hear me thanking Qatar… which is basically no different from the United Nations or the Red Cross, and even more problematic. I have no illusions about them,” Netanyahu reportedly said in the recording obtained by Channel 12.
“They have the means to put pressure (on Hamas). And why? Because they finance them,” Netanyahu said.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said any leaks from Netanyahu’s office “are usually not accidental” and “are usually done for a political reason – you can only wonder what it’s about.”
Netanyahu is under intense pressure from “all parties,” domestically and internationally, and “from people in the streets… to do more to bring back the captives,” Dekker said Thursday.
Hassan Barari, a professor at Qatar University, told Tel Aviv Tribune that the Israeli prime minister’s alleged criticism of Qatar’s mediation efforts reflects his frustration over its failures in the war.
“Qatar intervened several times, and Qatar managed to mediate between the Israelis and Hamas,” Barari said, calling the comments a sign of “desperation.”
“Netanyahu wants everyone to do things their own way. He fails on the battlefield, he fails to convince his own people that he is doing the right thing, and he wants to blame others and place the responsibility for his failures on the Qataris,” he said. he adds.
Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’ political leaders, has in recent years sent millions of dollars in aid to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, in cooperation with the Israeli government “to try to prevent the situation there- low to explode… because of restrictions and blockades,” Dekker reported.
Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, limiting and controlling the movement of people and goods into and out of the coastal territory.
In response to al-Ansari’s comments, ultranationalist and far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Qatar of supporting “terrorism.”
“Qatar is a country that supports and finances terrorism. It (Qatar) is the patron saint of Hamas and is largely responsible for the massacre committed by Hamas against Israeli citizens,” Smotrich wrote on X.
Members of Netanyahu’s ruling far-right coalition have pushed for an escalation of the war on Gaza, and the prime minister this week rejected a Hamas proposal to end the conflict and release captives in exchange for withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of prisoners and the acceptance of the governance of Gaza by an armed group.
Palestinian officials say at least 25,700 people have been killed and more than 63,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed some 1,140 people.