Israel made a grave mistake by allowing Qatar to mediate negotiations with Hamas and should no longer rely on the Gulf state, which is spearheading the spread of global Jew-hatred, Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, said on Monday.
“We made a terrible mistake to negotiate with Qatar and to bring Qatar as negotiators,” Chikli said at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem, offering rare public criticism of government policy. “Qatar is an enemy and a core part of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology.”
Chikli pointed to the Qatari-funded satellite network Al Jazeera, calling it “the greatest PR engine of antisemitic ideology in the world,” one that promotes jihadist organizations across the Middle East. Israel recently banned Al Jazeera from broadcasting domestically due to its pro-Hamas coverage of the war in Gaza.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has at times criticized Qatar, his government has continued talks through Qatari mediation under pressure from the United States.
Chikli, a hawkish member of the Cabinet, also emphasized that fostering a strong Zionist identity among young Jews worldwide is essential to fighting antisemitism.
“We need proud young Zionists,” he stated.