To Shield Netanyahu, Israel Leaking False Claim Qatar Sabotaged Talks
An Arab official on Sunday denied Hebrew media reports that Qatar had urged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian proposal for a hostage-ceasefire deal amid the terror group’s ongoing war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The source — who is familiar with the negotiations and is not from Qatar — told The Times of Israel that the reports are being “manufactured” by Israeli officials, who are seeking to further harm the negotiations and deflect blame for the failure of the talks away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose demands have made an agreement all but impossible.
The Israeli premier has refused, in any agreement, to end the war or leave Hamas in power as the enclave’s governing body. Israel also refused, during a three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal earlier this year, to begin negotiations toward a permanent end to the war, instead allowing the agreement to collapse after its first phase.
Over the weekend, several Hebrew media outlets published reports that either cited only Israeli officials or no sources at all, claiming that Qatar had encouraged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian proposal for a hostage deal by arguing that Doha could secure a better agreement in the form of a long-term truce.
Qatar has been a key mediator in hostage-ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, following the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, when the Iran-backed organization — the de facto government of the Gaza Strip — invaded the Jewish state, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
Qatar hosts much of Hamas’s political leadership. It also funds the Hamas-friendly Al Jazeera network and, with Israeli consent, sent billions of dollars to the Hamas-run enclave over the decade prior to the October 7 attack.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Sunday that he had noticed some progress in talks on Thursday.
Mossad director David Barnea — who has largely been sidelined in hostage talks since Netanyahu tapped Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer two months ago to lead the Israeli negotiating team — traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet the Qatari prime minister amid efforts to reach a deal, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.
“We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings, yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s the key point of the entire negotiations,” said Al-Thani, at a press conference alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
“When you don’t have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities [to end the war] become very thin,” the Qatari leader said.
Fidan said that talks in recent days had shown Hamas would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel.
On April 19, Fidan and Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, held talks with Hamas officials in Ankara to discuss the latest efforts for a ceasefire and the situation in Gaza.
Fidan said those talks showed Hamas would be more willing to sign a deal that also addresses the Palestinian territories and other issues, adding that the crisis could be turned into an opportunity to implement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Qatari PM: ‘Qatargate’ is ‘journalistic propaganda’
Al-Thani on Sunday also blasted coverage of the so-called “Qatargate” scandal in Israel, in which two of Netanyahu’s aides are suspected of multiple offenses tied to their alleged work for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm.
“What is being called ‘Qatargate’ is journalistic propaganda for political purposes that has no basis in truth. Fringe politicians in Israel are leveling accusations against Doha while forgetting its role in the release of the hostages,” said the Qatari leader.
“There is a public relations campaign being waged against the State of Qatar in Israel,” he asserted, claiming that “Qatar’s contracts with an American communications firm were intended to counter a public relations campaign against us in Israel.”
According to the Qatargate case’s judge, two Netanyahu aides — Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein — are suspected of taking money to spread pro-Qatari messaging to reporters, in order to boost the Gulf state’s image as a mediator in hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, while in the prime minister’s employ.
American lobbyist Jay Footlik is believed to have been instrumental in facilitating the payments to Netanyahu’s aides. Hebrew media reported late last week that police investigators were expected to travel to the US in the coming days to question Footlik.
