Bennett on UNGA: 'Netanyahu missed a historic opportunity to declare Qatar an enemy state'

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sharply criticized Benjamin Netanyahu after the prime minister’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly, saying he had missed a “historic opportunity” to declare Qatar an enemy state.

Bennett, who leads the Beyahad party, had raised the issue before Netanyahu addressed the assembly. In a statement following the speech, he said Netanyahu should have used the international platform to accuse Qatar of involvement in the October 7 attack.

By failing to do so, Bennett argued, the prime minister had “whitewashed and legitimized” Qatar.

Bennett said Netanyahu’s refusal to explicitly identify Qatar as an enemy harmed Israel’s national security, its standing abroad and the memory of those killed in the attack. He repeated accusations that Qatar had financed Hamas’s Nukhba forces, celebrated the October 7 attack and hosted Hamas leaders. He also accused Qatar of spreading antisemitic propaganda intended to undermine Israel.

Those claims are central to Bennett’s campaign for Israel to formally classify Qatar as an enemy state. “Benjamin Netanyahu talks about Hamas, but he tries to hide the truth: without Qatar, there is no Hamas,” Bennett said.

Bennett further accused Netanyahu of “giving Qatar the keys to Gaza,” arguing that the government’s approach was preventing Israel from defeating Hamas. Reaffirming a pledge he has made in recent weeks, he said: “We will declare Qatar an enemy, we will expel it from Israel and Gaza, and we will defeat Hamas.”