Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich has accused Qatar, a key mediator in efforts to free its hostages, of being “largely responsible” for the October 7 Hamas attack.

Qatar is the “patron of Hamas and is largely responsible for the massacre committed by Hamas of Israeli citizens”, Smotrich said on X.

He added that Qatar is a country that supports “terrorism and finances terrorism.”

Smotrich also accused western governments of being “hypocritical” in maintaining close relations with Doha.

“The West can and should exert much stronger leverage on it and bring about the release of the hostages immediately,” he said.

He insisted, “One thing is clear: Qatar will not be involved one bit in what happens in Gaza the day after the war.”

His comments follow Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s prior criticism of Qatar.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu was recorded allegedly telling hostages’ families that Qatar’s mediation was “problematic” when it came to resolving the hostage crisis.

Netanyahu reportedly said, “You haven’t seen me thank Qatar, have you noticed? I haven’t thanked Qatar. Why? Because Qatar, to me, is no different in essence from the UN, from the Red Cross and in a way it’s even more problematic.”

“However, I’m willing to use any mediator now who can help me bring them [the hostages] home,” he added.

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Qatar said that it was “appalled” by the remarks Netanyahu’s remarks.

Qatar’s foreign ministry Spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, posted on X, “We are appalled by the alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media reports about Qatar’s mediation role.”

“These remarks if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to the efforts to save innocent lives, but are not surprising,” he said.

He asserted that Qatar has been engaged in regular dialogue with the negotiating parties including Israeli institutions, attempting to establish the framework for a new hostage agreement and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli PM would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritizing saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages.

“Instead of concerning himself with Qatar’s strategic relations with the United States, we hope Netanyahu decides to operate in good faith and concentrate on the release of the hostages.”
Majed Al Ansari

Qatar and Egypt have acted as mediators in the conflict since it erupted after the Hamas attack.

In November, they helped broker a week-long truce that saw the release of 105 hostages, the Israelis among them in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas Criticizes Smotrich and Netanyahu’s Remarks

Hamas condemned the comments from Smotrich and Netanyahu, saying they were “targeting the sisterly State of Qatar”.

Hamas stated that the Israeli leaders’ sentiment reflects the reality of Israel’s position which is to obstruct reaching an agreement on the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners.

In a statement, Hamas said that Qatar is playing an active political role to stop the aggression against the Gaza Strip and to achieve a deal that can secure a prisoner exchange.

Also, Hassan Barari, a Professor at Qatar University, told a news agency that Netanyahu’s alleged criticism of Qatar’s mediation efforts reflects frustration over his failures in the war.

“Qatar has stepped in many times, and Qatar has succeeded in mediating between Israelis and Hamas,” Barari said, calling the comments a sign of “desperation.”

“Netanyahu wants everyone to do things his own way. He fails on the battleground, he fails to convince his own people that he’s doing the right thing, and he wants to blame others and pass the buck for his failures on the Qataris,” he added.