Israel Faces Backlash Over Qatar Ties as ‘Qatargate’ Unfolds
In a story reported by Giorgia Valente for The Media Line, a growing scandal known as “Qatargate” is shaking Israeli politics. At its center are allegations of corruption and the growing influence of Qatar, a Gulf state that has long played a key role in mediating between Israel and Hamas. The controversy has reached the highest levels of Israeli leadership, with the abrupt dismissal of Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, raising questions about political interference and national security.
Yousef Munayyer, director of the Palestine-Israel Program at the Arab Center Washington DC, told The Media Line that Bar’s dismissal was likely tied to his investigations into corruption involving figures close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bar also played a prominent role in ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, which reportedly exposed friction between security officials and Netanyahu over negotiation tactics.
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Moran Zaga of the University of Haifa noted that while Qatar’s ties to Hamas are not new, Israel’s previous acceptance of Qatari mediation and financial support for Gaza has now become politically contentious. Both Zaga and Munayyer agree that Israel must reassess its reliance on Qatar, whose influence spans far beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including acting as a broker between the United States and actors such as Iran and Afghanistan.
Zaga warned that Qatar’s media and financial backing of anti-Israel narratives poses a risk, but also suggested that Israel could pressure Qatar through strategic cooperation. Munayyer stressed that Qatar’s power lies in its ability to maintain relationships with all sides, a trait that has made it indispensable—but also controversial.
As Valente reports, the full story of Qatargate reflects much deeper questions about how Israel manages its regional alliances, and what the future may hold for its ties with Qatar.
