Netanyahu’s son accuses Qatar of being a top state sponsor of terror, drawing rebuke
Qatari diplomat warns ‘extremist talking points’ repeated by Yair Netanyahu, who also bashed Doha over its ties to US universities, could harm the talks between Israel and Hamas
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s eldest son on Sunday hit out at Qatar, accusing the Gulf emirate of being a leading state sponsor of terrorism and drawing a rebuke from a Qatari diplomat who warned the comments could harm the hostage-for-ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas that Doha is helping broker.
Speaking at a panel in Miami, where he now resides, Yair Netanyahu said Qatar receives “red carpet” treatment in Washington and New York, despite being second only to Iran on the list of largest state sponsors of terrorism.
He said that Doha is the number one sponsor of US universities, insinuating the existence of a link between Qatar and the recent anti-Israel protests that have rocked American campuses. The younger Netanyahu also railed at the “radical left organizations, the [George] Soros organizations that are funding and organizing all these riots against Israel,” before charging that “Israel is not their real target.”
“Their real target is bringing down the social fabric of the United States,” he claimed. “Israel is just an experiment of seeing how well this army of bullies and rioters is working in order to use it when they really need to, like in 2020.”
In response, a Qatari diplomat told The Times of Israel that Yair Netanyahu’s comments “are copied from the talking points of extremist groups who are hostile to any peaceful resolution to the Gaza conflict.”
“These false claims will not take the pressure off those who prefer to continue waging war,” the diplomat said.
“His accusations about Qatar as the ‘biggest donor’ to US universities are also false. In reality, these payments are not donations. They cover the costs of American branch campuses in Qatar. Qatar has nothing to do with the recent protests on US campuses,” the diplomat added, referring to the anti-Israel encampments that sprung up across the country toward the end of the spring semester.
“His remarks are irresponsible, particularly at this sensitive time in the negotiations. They can only further complicate things,” the diplomat warned.
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Along with Egypt, Qatar has been the leading mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, whose political leadership it has hosted since 2012 at the behest of the United States. The premier himself has previously bashed Qatar over its role in the talks, charging that it has not done enough to pressure its client Hamas, prompting warnings from Doha that it could reassess its role in the negotiations.
Israel has long had a complex relationship with Qatar, which became one of the first Arab countries to establish trade ties with Jerusalem in 1996.
Although those relations were severed 13 years later amid the 2009 Gaza war, Israel has coordinated with Qatar over the years for Doha to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to finance Gaza humanitarian projects along with the salaries of the Strip’s civil servants.
Critics say the Qatari funds helped strengthen Hamas at the expense of the more moderate Palestinian Authority and allowed Doha to gain a foothold in the enclave by bolstering an Islamist group opposed by Israel’s Arab allies.
Yair Netanyahu’s remarks came amid another round of talks to broker a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, which have been fighting since the October 7 onslaught in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Yair Netanyahu has been living in Florida since last year, moving after the prime minister and his wife reportedly demanded that he stop posting on social media and not speak directly with lawmakers or ministers amid accusations he was inflaming tensions in Israel and exacerbating a diplomatic rift with the United States.
“My son is beloved, I really love him, he’s an independent person, he expresses his opinions,” the premier said during a press conference Saturday when asked about criticism of his son’s relentless social media attacks on Israel’s security services.
Along with his contentious social media presence, for which he has faced legal action, Yair Netanyahu has been criticized for remaining in the US despite the outbreak of war, as tens of thousands of Israelis returned home to join the 300,000 reservists initially called up.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contribute to this report.
