Qatar is the greatest threat to Israel and the West — even more so than Iran — according to Rabbi Pini Dunner, the head rabbi of the Beverly Hills, California Synagogue.
Speaking on the ILTV News Podcast last week, Dunner said what makes Qatar so dangerous is that it pretends to be a friend.
“When you hear about a friend being a threat, that becomes much more threatening, because the people within who threaten are always much more dangerous,” Dunner said. “I think there is a lack of awareness that Qatar poses this grave threat to Israel.”
ILTV News Podcast | ‘Qatar Is More Dangerous Than Iran’ (https://studio.youtube.com/video/ERiVn0aer1Q/edit)
How did Qatar gain its position? “Money,” Dunner said. “They have so much money.”
According to Dunner, the Qataris have spent around $250 million on lobbying in the United States alone. This figure does not include funds funneled into various programs on college campuses or even money used to sway individual politicians or thought leaders. Dunner claimed that there are senators and congresspeople on Qatar’s payroll.
He shared a recent experience while visiting Washington, D.C. to lobby against Qatar. During the trip, Dunner connected with the chief of staff of one senator. While they were chatting, the staffer revealed that he had visited Doha the previous week along with 20 other staffers from Washington. The staffer described it as “a fully paid trip” and “the most exciting, amazing week I’ve ever had in my life.”
“A staffer is the most important person in a congressman's office, because they're the ones who put the papers, the talking points, in front of the congressmen,” Dunner explained.
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He also drew a comparison between Qatar’s $250 million lobbying effort and the amount spent by organizations like AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, which spent only $3.3 million.
“It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what Qatar is spending and can spend,” Dunner said. “So, there’s no way we can outspend the amount of money they have put into protecting their image, creating this brand of Qatar, being a neutral mediator, being what they call themselves, ‘the honest brokers of the Middle East.’”
Dunner warned that “there's nothing more dishonest than Qatar.” He said the Qataris present themselves as friends — charming, sophisticated, and committed to doing good — while in reality they are “an insidious, pernicious bunch of people that are sowing discord. And now we've discovered, even here in Israel.”
First published: 06:40, 04.26.25