Naftali Bennett Urges Netanyahu to Declare Qatar Enemy State

Former Prime Minister and Together party chairman Naftali Bennett demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally declare Qatar an enemy state during his upcoming address to the United Nations General Assembly. Bennett argues this designation is essential to dismantling Hamas rule in Gaza, alleging that Qatar funded the October 7 massacre and continues to enable the group to recruit terrorists and rearm.

To support these claims, Bennett announced he will submit a dossier containing evidence of Qatari involvement in the attacks to the UN Security Council and the Secretary-General. He asserts that such a move would receive broad political backing from both the coalition and the opposition in Israel.

The demand follows reports that the Israeli government approved Qatari funds transferred to Gaza as early as 2019, which intelligence indicated were diverted to the military buildup of Hamas. While Netanyahu has criticized Qatar for its relationship with Hamas and its influence at U.S. universities, he has not previously designated the Gulf emirate as an enemy state.