Qatar Lashes Out at Netanyahu for Attempting to Justify Doha Bombings

Qatar has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly for what it termed reckless and perilous remarks aiming to justify attacks on the territory of Qatar.

In a statement, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated Netanyahu's comments regarding Doha's hosting of the political office of Hamas were an attempt to justify what it termed a "cowardly attack" and direct threats of future invasions of Qatar's sovereignty.

The ministry stressed that the presence of the office in Doha never was a secret and was set at both the United States' and Israel's request as part of international mediation. "Netanyahu knows well that hosting the Hamas office was within the framework of Qatar's efforts at mediation requested by Israel and the United States," the statement read.

Qatar pointed out that negotiations brokered through this mechanism had resulted in ceasefires, prisoner releases, and humanitarian aid to both Palestinians and Israeli hostages since the escalation on October 7, 2023. The ministry dismissed Netanyahu's claim that Qatar was sheltering Hamas as a desperate attempt to legitimize a crime universally condemned.

The statement also rebuffed Netanyahu's Hamas-Al-Qaeda comparison as "a new, miserable justification" for Israeli policy. It remarked that there had never been an international mediation process with Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks, while Qatar's had been carried out openly with international support.

MOFA accused Netanyahu of employing extremist rhetoric for political purposes and termed him increasingly isolated, subject to growing sanctions and global legal pressure. The ministry stated the international solidarity expressed with Qatar was an expression of rejection of such aggression against sovereign nations.

The ministry stood firm that Qatar will continue to serve as an unbiased mediator for stability in the region while protecting its sovereignty. "No effort will be spared to meet with determination any attempts to weaken its standing and role," it added.

Qatar also called on the international community to reject what it termed Netanyahu's "Islamophobic and inciteful rhetoric" and to ensure that such political manipulation does not stand in the way of mediation or peace.