Yair Netanyahu in Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court in connection with his suit against political activist Abie Benjamin, June 5, 2018. (Flash90)
The Qataris are “the second biggest financiers of terrorism in the world after Iran,” says Netanyahu’s son.
By World Israel News Staff
The son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the Gulf kingdom of Qatar in a speech on Sunday, triggering a defensive response from Qatari officials.
Yair Netanyahu, who has long been outspoken about his views on international and domestic Israeli politics, made his controversial comments while speaking at a church in Florida.
“You have another sponsor of terrorism, which is Qatar,” Netanyahu told the audience during a discussion about the funding of global terror groups, in a clip that was posted to social media platform X.
“It is a rich country that, for some reason, is given the red carpet treatment in Washington and New York, but they are the second biggest financiers of terrorism in the world after Iran,” he stressed.
Netanyahu also claimed that Qatar is the biggest state donor to American universities, and suggested that Doha helped fund the mass anti-Israel protests sweeping campuses throughout the country.
In a statement to Hebrew-language news outlet Walla, a senior Qatari diplomat dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “lies and irresponsible nonsense.”
The official criticized Netanyahu for making the comments against the background of ongoing talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that “at this sensitive time in the negotiations, such statements can only complicate matters.”
He added that “Yair Netanyahu’s words seemed to have been copy-pasted from the message board of extremist organizations that are hostile and opposed to any solution to the crisis in Gaza. These false claims will not take the pressure off those who prefer to continue the war.”
Qatar is currently hosting senior Hamas leaders and is serving as an interlocuter between the terror group and Israel in ceasefire talks.
Notably, Qatar is the patron of Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language anti-Israel news outlet. Numerous Gazan terrorists were employed by the network.
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