Report: White House Drafted Netanyahu’s Apology to Qatar; PMO Denies Claim

The reported apology included Netanyahu’s “deep regret” over the unintentional killing of a Qatari serviceman and a pledge that Israel would not conduct similar attacks on Qatari soil in the future.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Politico report published Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Qatar earlier this month was written by the White House and delivered under supervision from a senior Qatari envoy.

The Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the account as “fake news,” insisting Netanyahu spoke on his own terms.

According to the report, U.S. President Donald Trump instructed Netanyahu to call Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani directly from the Oval Office and read a statement of apology prepared by American officials in coordination with Qatari representatives.

The call came weeks after a Qatari security officer was killed in an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9.

Politico cited three sources familiar with the exchange, saying that Ali Al-Thawadi, a senior Qatari diplomat and close confidant of Al Thani, was seated alongside U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff during the call.

Al-Thawadi was described as being present “to ensure Netanyahu didn’t deviate from the White House-crafted version of events.”

The reported apology included Netanyahu’s “deep regret” over the unintentional killing of a Qatari serviceman and a pledge that Israel would not conduct similar attacks on Qatari soil in the future.

The White House readout said the conversation also covered coordination over Gaza, Hamas, and postwar efforts to stabilize the region.

Qatar, which maintains no formal ties with Israel, has served as a key intermediary in hostage and ceasefire talks.

The following day, Al Thani said Netanyahu’s apology represented “the bare minimum,” adding that Qatar’s main priority was ensuring Israel “does not attack us again.”

Shortly afterward, Trump signed an order extending U.S. security guarantees to Qatar, declaring that any armed attack on its territory would be treated as a threat to American interests.

The development sparked criticism within Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the apology “a humiliating act and a national disgrace.” Other officials privately described it as “an American dictate shaped by Qatari demands.”

Netanyahu’s office rejected those accounts, saying his remarks “were determined by the Prime Minister himself, in consultation only with his professional team.” The statement clarified that the Qatari official was present during the call “at the invitation of the American team” and that there had been “no contact whatsoever with the Israeli delegation.”

The call reportedly preceded Trump’s public unveiling of his postwar plan for Gaza, which he announced alongside Netanyahu, saying both Israel and the Arab world had agreed to support it.