Qatar rejects Israeli election interference claims as analyst questions Netanyahu's motives

Well, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman has responded to allegations in Israeli media accusing Qatar of interfering in its elections. In a statement on social media, the spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry, Majid Al-Ansari has said, we categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome. He said, we reject the accusations made by certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media who have launched yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes following this week's elections. He's gone on to say that Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians. Joining us on set is Abdullah Bandar Al-Datiubi. He's Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Qatar University. He's also author of Shifting Narratives and Evolving Roles of Qatari Foreign Policy. Very good to have you with us at Al Jazeera. With regard to the allegations that have been made in the media and by certain members of particularly Benjamin Netanyahu's political party, Qatar had, like many governments put in that position, the option of not responding. And yet it has chosen to respond and respond quickly to these allegations. What do you make of that choice? Well, because they are baseless, Rob, what Benjamin Netanyahu is saying. He's always, I think he's trying to reflect the failure of his party, the failure of his foreign policy, the failure of the support. He sees that the streets in Israel is shifting. And this is not an easy thing for him with all the investments he has been putting in the Likud. And you see yourself only eight seats away from the Arab voices who then he can't really basically go to his audience and just explain it easily. He needs to have that foreign interference as a scapegoat, as always, that there is a power that's actually intervening and changing the whole calculations of the Israelis. But I think it's easier for him to explain that his behavior when it comes to the foreign policy, when it comes to the war in Gaza, when it comes to expanding in Syria and also the airstrikes in Lebanon, and so on and so on. So it's actually the record of Israeli government with Netanyahu that actually reflected on the votes of so many Israelis within Israel. In terms of the response, I mean, the statement, as Nour was just talking about, from Israel's own electoral committee, that came out really quickly and was fairly unequivocal, that they're saying, no, there was no electoral interference whatsoever. The elections were fine. Israel's president has also come out and said, fairly quickly, saying he was warning against tarnishing an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy. What do you make, again, of the speed and the tone of those responses? Well, that's very clear that everyone is actually, they're watching what's happening in Israel and they know this is something related to the behaviour of Israel and the behaviour of Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Therefore, you see the other parties are involving, the president is involving, and even you see we are witnessing this, that the streets are shifting and that the Arab voices, other voices as well, are going against Netanyahu. They feel like this is something they need to take over and they need to get him off office. Because at the end of the day, Rob, I think we know that very well, that Netanyahu and his current crazy behavior has been linked to the accusations he has internally, the problem he has internally when it comes to the court hearings and the court cases. Therefore, I think this is what he's trying to play. He's trying to play the external power or the external player card with Qatar, which Qatar quickly denied. and now he's trying some sort of finding an excuse to his people that what happened is basically out of his hands and out of his reach. And this is, I think, the problem. Just coming back to the statement from Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, he said in that statement, Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians. Why do you think Qatar has become such a focal point for some Israeli politicians and some elements of Israeli media? I think they think in their mind that it's easier than explaining the behaviour of Israel and the foreign policy of Israel is to accuse someone else of that. And I think they go back to the region. Qatar in particular because Qatar has a great record when it comes to mediation, the constructive role in the Middle East when it comes to pushing for more stability. While you see Israel is going against that we remember the Netanyahu's strike to Qatar last September 2025. This was a clear thing that he worked against the interests of the Israelis themselves when he attacked Qatar during negotiations and mediation efforts to get some of the Israeli hostages out of Gaza. So he's working against his own interests and his country's interests. Therefore, I think he wants to shift that externally, especially with mediation efforts going on, Rob, at the moment between Iran and the U.S. I think he wants to play it with two birds with one stone, basically. He has got a lot of internal problems to basically justify his failure, and externally to give some sort of justification maybe to his hopes of more escalation coming to the region just very quickly do you and I know we are at the very early stages of of these elections in your assessment do you think there's a situation or a circumstance under which we might see a chance to if not for peace then at least a chance to reduce tensions in the occupied West Bank in Gaza or southern Lebanon is there a scenario that you can see where that is no more possible than before? I think this is a very urgent matter, Rob, to be honest. When you look at what's happening in the West Bank or Gaza or other parts, I think this is a huge catastrophe when it comes to humanity. And this is something I think the international community needs to react to it. And I think this is what the Israeli government, whoever is going to be the next prime minister, he needs to look at this. The stability comes when there is stability in the region. This is where the stability comes to everyone. You can't have stability within at the expense of insecurities of others. I think this is something that Netanyahu did not understand and he fueled so many instabilities in the region in hopes of remaining in office. And I think this is what the Israeli voices at the moment are saying it very loudly, that they want him out of office. Abdullah Bandar, Al-Azhibi, Assistant Professor in International Affairs at Qatar University. We appreciate it as always. Thank you very much indeed.