Netanyahu Slams Qatar for “Playing Both Sides” in Israel-Hamas Conflict: Growing Rift Over Mediation Role

By: Fern Sidman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sharp rebuke of Qatar on Saturday night, accusing the Gulf state of “playing both sides” in the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, and urging Doha to make a moral choice between “civilization” and “barbarism.” The remarks, shared on Netanyahu’s official X account, reflect growing Israeli frustration over what many in Jerusalem now see as a duplicitous posture by the Qatari regime during the months-long conflict.

According to a report on The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Netanyahu’s statement came amid stalled hostage negotiations and mounting skepticism over Qatar’s role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel. Despite its efforts to present itself as a neutral broker, Qatar’s longstanding ties to Hamas, including financial and political support, have become a major point of contention.

“Israel is fighting a just war with just means,” the Prime Minister’s statement read. “After the October 7 atrocities, Prime Minister Netanyahu defined the War of Redemption as a war between civilization and barbarism. The time has come for Qatar to stop playing both sides with its double talk and decide if it’s on the side of civilization or if it’s on the side of Hamas barbarism. Israel will win this just war with just means,” the post added, as cited by JNS.

Netanyahu’s words drew a swift and angry response from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, with spokesman Majed Al Ansari denouncing the remarks as “inflammatory” and politically irresponsible.

“The State of Qatar firmly rejects the inflammatory statements issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which fall far short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility,” Al Ansari wrote on X.

He accused Israel of masking its military actions in Gaza under a false narrative, stating that Netanyahu’s framing of the conflict as a defense of “civilization” mirrors historical justifications for war crimes.

“Portraying the ongoing aggression against Gaza as a defense of ‘civilization’ echoes the rhetoric of regimes throughout history that have used false narratives to justify crimes against innocent civilians,” Al Ansari added, according to the JNS report.

Al Ansari also defended Qatar’s role in the conflict, asserting that Doha has worked in close coordination with the United States and Egypt to broker ceasefires and facilitate humanitarian aid.

“Since the outbreak of the war, the State of Qatar, working in close coordination with its partners, has made every effort to support mediation aimed at ending the fighting, protecting civilians, and securing the release of hostages,” he said.

JNS reported that Netanyahu is not alone in his criticism of Qatar. Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, offered a particularly blistering condemnation during the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem earlier this week.

“We made a terrible mistake to negotiate with Qatar and to bring Qatar as negotiators,” Chikli said, adding that Qatar’s ideological alignment with the Muslim Brotherhood—the parent movement of Hamas—renders it untrustworthy.

“Qatar is an enemy and a core part of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology,” Chikli declared, as quoted by JNS.

Chikli also targeted the Qatari-owned satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera, which has long faced criticism in Israel for its pro-Hamas coverage. The network was recently banned from broadcasting within Israel under national security laws.

“Al Jazeera is the greatest PR engine of antisemitic ideology in the world,” Chikli charged, as per the JNS report. “They promote jihadist organizations across the Middle East under the pretense of journalism.”

Qatar has served as the chief intermediary in negotiations over the release of Israeli hostages, many of whom have been held by Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 terror attacks that killed over 1,200 Israelis and wounded thousands more. But as months drag on with little progress, Israeli officials are increasingly skeptical of Doha’s sincerity.

Though Qatar has helped secure the release of some hostages, critics now argue that Doha’s dual role—as both a funder of Hamas and a self-styled peace broker—is inherently conflicted. The JNS report said that Israeli analysts point to millions of dollars in Qatari funding that have flowed into Gaza in recent years, ostensibly for humanitarian purposes but often diverted to Hamas military infrastructure, including tunnel networks and weapons development.

The Israeli government’s rising hostility toward Qatar signals a wider reevaluation of diplomatic alliances in the Middle East. As JNS has reported, the war has triggered broader questions in both Jerusalem and Washington about how the U.S. and its allies have tolerated Qatar’s dual-track diplomacy for so long.

While the Biden administration continues to lean on Qatar as an indispensable player in diplomacy, voices in Israel—and increasingly in the American Jewish community—are urging the West to reconsider Doha’s strategic role in light of its ideological alignment with radical groups.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for Qatar to “choose a side” is not merely rhetorical—it reflects a deeper strategic shift. The JNS report indicated that Israel is no longer willing to treat Doha as a neutral actor in a war it views as a moral confrontation between good and evil, civilization and barbarism.

As the report on JNS noted, this growing rift comes at a pivotal moment in the war, when hostage negotiations, humanitarian concerns, and regional alliances are in flux. Whether Qatar will respond with meaningful changes—or double down on its current role—remains to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that Israel’s patience has worn thin, and the diplomatic dance that once allowed Qatar to straddle both sides may soon come to an end.