‘Did the Emir of Qatar apologize for Oct 7?’: Israeli politicians criticize Netanyahu's apology to Qatari PM

Israeli politicians reacted strongly to the news that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally apologized to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani for the attack in Doha earlier this month, which targeted Hamas leaders. 

During his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, Netanyahu also spoke by phone with Al Thani, apologizing for the strike in which a Qatari security officer was killed.  

The White House later said that Netanyahu also “affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.” 

The Prime Minister’s Office released a readout of the phone call following Netanyahu’s meeting at the White House. 

"Mr. Prime Minister, I want you to know that Israel regrets that one of your citizens was killed in our strike,” Netanyahu told Al Thani. “I want to assure you that Israel was targeting Hamas, not Qataris.” 

“I also want to assure you that Israel has no plan to violate your sovereignty again in the future, and I have made that commitment to the president,” Netanyahu continued. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu also referred to “grievances” between the two nations, saying he looks forward to efforts by Trump to reach agreements. 

“I know your leadership has grievances against Israel and Israel has grievances against Qatar, from support for the Muslim Brotherhood to how Israel is portrayed on Al Jazeera to support for anti Israel sentiment on college campuses,” Netanyahu continued. “I welcome the President's idea to establish a trilateral group to address both our countries outstanding grievances.” 

After the announcement that Netanyahu had apologized, Israeli politicians across the political spectrum slammed the move in rare unison, with many arguing that if anything, Qatar should have apologized to Israel. 

Members of Netanyahu’s own coalition were among the first to speak out. 

National Security Minister, and head of the Jewish Power party, Itamar Ben Givr posted to 𝕏, saying the strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar “was an important, just, and supremely moral strike.” 

“The strike on Hamas leaders, the planners of the October 7 massacre in the enemy state of Qatar – was an important, just, and supremely moral strike,” Ben Giver posted. “It is very good that it happened. Whoever sends monsters to burn babies, rape women, and abduct elderly women must know that there is no place in the world where he is safe. It is time to tell the world the truth: Qatar is a state that supports terrorism, funds terrorism, and incites terrorism. No money will cleanse the terrorism from their hands.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, even compared the situation to that of Neville Chamberlain, who signed the Munich Agreement, allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, claiming he had prevented the outbreak of war. 

“Today is the anniversary of the Munich Agreement, signed on 29.9.1938,” Smotrich wrote. “Then as now, Churchill's statement resonates: ‘England could have chosen between disgrace and war; it chose disgrace and will therefore get war as well.’” 

Smotrich called the "groveling" apology by Netanyahu to a state which he said "supports and funds terrorism," a "disgrace.” 

Religious Zionism MK Orit Strock asked, “Did the Emir of Qatar apologize to Prime Minister Netanyahu for October 7th?” 

Right-wing opposition MK Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Israel Beitenu party, called the apology “unbelievable.” 

“It's unbelievable that Netanyahu apologized to the Qataris who to this day have not condemned the October 7 massacre, but he has never apologized to the people of Israel for the fact that during his watch, thousands of Israelis were murdered, raped, and kidnapped.” 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed Lieberman’s statement, saying, “Netanyahu should not apologize to the citizens of Qatar, but to the citizens of Israel: for October 7, for the political devastation, for the attempt to promote the draft evasion law during wartime, for the establishment of the most extreme and destructive government in the state's history.” 

Meanwhile, left-wing politician Yair Golan, head of the Democrats Party, joined in, saying that Netanyahu would not be forgiven by Israelis for his failures. 

Golan, like Lieberman, noted that Netanyahu had not apologized to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, which was receiving funds from Qatar. 

“He apologized to the man who financed the October massacre with hundreds of millions of dollars, with whose money the tunnels were built, the weapons were purchased, Jews were slaughtered, and families were abducted,” Golan wrote to 𝕏. “Before this man, Israel's enemy, a Jew-hater, Netanyahu humiliated himself and groveled.” 

“Netanyahu is weak and corrupt. He was and remains a full collaborator of Hamas and Qatar,” Golan continued, referencing Netanyahu’s approval of money transfers by Qatar to the Gaza Strip. “And for this, there will be no forgiveness for him - not on this Yom Kippur, nor on another hundred Yom Kippurs.”