Therefore, \u201caccording to the law today, anybody can work for Qatar. You can be an agent for Qatar,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most dangerous enemy to Israel is not defined as an enemy [state].\u201d<\/p>\n
\t Many in Israel are on Qatar\u2019s payroll, he claimed. \u201cThere are research institutes in Israel, there are influencers in Israel, and maybe also officials in Israel who are on Qatar\u2019s payroll.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the next government, we will define Qatar as an enemy,\u201d he vowed, saying that it is \u201cunforgivable\u201d that this is not already the case.<\/p>\n The comments marked the second time<\/a> in days that Bennett hit out at Qatar, after he told a security conference on Monday that \u201cthe leaders of Qatar have a goal of eliminating Israel, period.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people who call it a \u2018complicated state\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s not complicated; after October 7, nothing is complicated here. Qatar is an enemy. It\u2019s simple,\u201d he said at the conference.<\/p>\n \t Those remarks sparked condemnation from Doha, with the\u00a0Qatari Embassy in Washington accusing Bennett of \u201cspreading disinformation about Qatar in an attempt to further his own political ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n Bennett has previously called the Qatargate affair \u201cthe most serious act of treason in Israeli history.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaza disarmament<\/p>\n Bennett was also asked about the recent developments<\/a> in the Gaza Strip, namely the Hamas acceptance of the US-backed Board of Peace\u2019s disarmament plan, which would see Israeli forces pull back from positions in Gaza as the Palestinian terror organization lays down its weapons and transfers control of the enclave to a technocratic body.<\/p>\n Netanyahu has yet to comment, but statements attributed to a \u201csenior Israeli official\u201d have said that Israel does not approve of the plan and accordingly will not withdraw.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe situation in the Gaza Strip will be judged by the result,\u201d Bennett said when asked about his opinion of the deal\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, until Hamas completely disarms, I\u2019m not giving a millimeter to anyone \u2014 no concessions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also warned that Hamas has been working to rearm, saying that the terror group has more operatives now than it had before the October 2023 attack. \u201cThese are the facts on the ground,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have recruited terrorists, they smuggle drones and weapons out of Egypt, and they are getting stronger before our eyes,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n \u2018Life\u2019s mission\u2019 to replace Netanyahu<\/p>\n Turning to the upcoming election, which is scheduled for October 27, Bennett said that his \u201clife\u2019s mission\u201d is to replace the current government, regardless of whether he serves as the next prime minister.<\/p>\n Bennett, who joined forces with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to form their new Together slate, has fallen well behind Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot as the main contender to defeat Netanyahu.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe government should be diverse with a Zionist right, a Zionist left, religious Zionists, secular Zionists, whose common denominator is to make amends,\u201d he said, adding that he and Eisenkot would come to an agreement on a future coalition after the elections.<\/p>\n Until then, he said he wants to concentrate his efforts on winning enough seats that will allow the Zionist opposition parties, meaning without Haredi or Arab parties, to form a government.<\/p>\n A recent poll<\/a> by The Times of Israel\u2019s sister site, Zman Yisrael, predicted \u2014 like almost all recent polls \u2014 that neither Netanyahu\u2019s bloc nor the Zionist opposition would secure the 61-seat majority needed to form a government, though much is yet to change with many voters still undecided.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFP__20250909__73XR4NC__v3__HighRes__QatarIsraelConflictPalestinian-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tFILE: Qatar\u2019s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani addresses a press conference following Israeli strikes in Doha on September 9, 2025. (Karim JAAFAR \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F260722YS23-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tFormer prime minister and head of the Together party Naftali Bennett visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, during Tisha B\u2019Av, July 22, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFP__20251103__82V33NE__v1__HighRes__PalestinianIsraelConflictGaza-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tHamas gunmen guard an area where they are searching for the bodies of hostages with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City on November 3, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F260727AVS617-e1785358152317-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tYashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, at a campaign conference at the Drom HaSharon Regional Council building in central Israel, July 27, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n