Naftali Bennett declared Monday that, if he returns to power as Israel’s next prime minister, one of his first moves will be to officially designate Qatar as an enemy state, accusing the Gulf nation of bankrolling terrorism and orchestrating a worldwide campaign aimed at undermining Israel.

Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) National Security Conference, the former prime minister and chairman of the Beyachad (“Together”) party said Qatar poses a direct threat to Israel and should be treated accordingly.

“In the next government, I will declare Qatar an enemy state,” Bennett said. “It is a cancer that sends metastases into the West, and even into the office of Israel’s prime minister.”

Bennett expanded on his accusations, arguing that Qatar’s actions go far beyond regional politics and are part of a broader effort to weaken and ultimately eliminate the Jewish state.

“Qatar is a violent antisemitic cancer that sends metastases into the West and even into the office of Israel’s prime minister, with the goal of destroying the State of Israel,” he said.

He also blamed Qatar for playing a central role in supporting Hamas and other Islamist terror organizations, saying the country’s involvement has had deadly consequences for Israel.

“As the principal financier of Islamist terrorism, headed by Hamas, Qatar’s hands are stained with the blood of our sons and daughters who were murdered, raped, burned, and abducted on October 7,” he said.

Bennett further alleged that Doha has spent years building an extensive international influence apparatus designed to damage Israel’s standing abroad, singling out the Al Jazeera network as a key component of that strategy.

“Qatar has built a global influence operation to destroy Israel. In a sophisticated manner, it operates and funds the antisemitic Al Jazeera network, which amplifies Hamas’s messages and incites against Israel,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Bennett argued that any official investigation into the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre should closely examine Qatar’s role, asserting that such a finding would inevitably lead to recognizing the country as a hostile state.

“Had even the most basic commission of inquiry into October 7 been established, one of its first conclusions would have been that Qatar is an enemy state, and that its leaders seek to destroy Israel,” he said.

{Matzav.com}