Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Qatar of contributing to what he called a surge of anti-Israel sentiment on university campuses across the United States, marking the first time he has publicly held the Gulf state responsible for what he described as a “rot” in American academic institutions.
In an interview with the evangelical Christian television network Daystar, recorded during a recent visit to Washington and broadcast on social media this week, Netanyahu said that while Qatar had helped Israel broker a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, it was also actively undermining Israel by hosting Hamas leaders and spreading anti-Israel narratives.
(Video: Christian Daystar)
“Qatar may have helped us reach a ceasefire — a temporary one — but they did so while hosting Hamas terrorists,” Netanyahu said. “You can’t fund the arsonists and the firefighters at the same time. You have to choose. Choose a side!”
Netanyahu alleged that elite American universities have become hotbeds of anti-Israel sentiment, fueled in part by Qatari funding and influence.
“There’s been a closing of the American minds, a reversal of the truth,” he said. “Israel is not the problem in the Middle East — Israel is the solution. Israel is not the enemy of the United States — Israel is its friend. In many ways, we’re confronting the same enemies who want to destroy America.”
He further accused Qatar of amplifying anti-Israel and anti-American messages through its state-funded broadcaster Al-Jazeera. “You see it, unfortunately, in Al-Jazeera Arabic, which promotes anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism, woven together,” he said.
Netanyahu praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his pro-Israel policies and for what he described as ushering in a necessary shift in the global conversation. “It’s time for a change, and I think Donald Trump is bringing that change. Good for him — it’s about time,” Netanyahu said.
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The Israeli leader also revealed that he has displayed Trump's 2017 declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital next to President Harry Truman’s 1948 letter recognizing the State of Israel in the Israeli Cabinet meeting room. “I never told him, but to me, both are so meaningful, I just put them side by side,” he said.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for lifting U.S. sanctions on West Bank settlers, calling them “Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, the heart of our historical homeland.”
The interview also touched on Netanyahu’s personal beliefs. When asked whether he considers himself a man of faith, Netanyahu responded, “In the deepest sense — yes. If you don’t have faith, you can’t survive the storms of politics.”
Netanyahu has declined interviews with Israeli media outlets that do not support his government and has not held a press conference open to independent questioning since December 2024.
First published: 11:42, 04.17.25