A furious Qatar has accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “narcissistic saboteur-in-chief” determined to wreck chances of peace in the Middle East, after Israel bombed the Qatari capital on Tuesday.
In blistering comments to The Independent, Dr Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson and advisor to the prime minister, said Israel attacked central Doha while Hamas negotiators were discussing a US-proposed truce deal, putting a “target on the back” of any country trying to mediating peace.
Israel launched an unprecedented air raid on Doha on Tuesday, killing at least six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas figures.
Netanyahu said the target was the senior Hamas leadership in exile, who, according to the Qataris, were in central Doha discussing details of a US-penned plan for Gaza.
Dr Ansari told The Independent they were “dealing with this as a direct attack on Qatar”, as Israel failed to warn Doha or apparently consult Israel’s closest ally, the US, beforehand, despite the fact the US’s largest Middle East military base is located near the Qatari capital.
“ The treacherous behaviour of prime minister Netanyahu is not something new to us… but it is a red line that has been crossed that has never been crossed before,” said Dr Ansari, adding that the death toll from the attack was still unknown, as Qatari forces were digging through the rubble.
“This message is very clear to everybody around the world, but especially to our region here, that peace with Israel is not possible under prime minister Netanyahu. He does not want peace. He does not work towards peace. He is actually the saboteur-in-chief.”
Qatar does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel but has taken a leading role in mediating multiple ceasefire deals between Israel and Hamas in the 23-month bloody war. At the request of Israel and the US it has played host to critical talks and negotiating teams from both sides.
Dr al-Ansari said therefore the attack on a building in the heart of Doha where a senior Hamas delegation were discussing the latest Gaza ceasefire deal penned by the Trump administration underscored Netanyahu’s intent.
“This is not an act of a partner who believes in their partnership with the US. This is a unilateral action by a madman. This is somebody who is unhinged.
“[Netanyahu] does not have any concern for the life of the hostages, any concern for the international standing of Israel and the international community, and any concern for what Israel stands for as a state, as a member of the United Nations.
“ It has reached a point where he doesn’t even have respect for the his partners in the US administration.”
He added grimly, “ the only way Netanyahu wants to reshape the region is in his own image, in his narcissistic, megalomaniacal image.”
Israel has faced worldwide condemnation for its shock decision to bomb Qatar, a state that has already been caught in the crossfire between Israel, the US and Iran, which made the US base in Qatar the target of its retaliatory strikes.
