The Mossad intelligence agency on Thursday sharply rejected claims by opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman that it agreed with Qatari officials to establish a communications working group aimed at improving Qatar’s image, calling the allegation “baseless, false and devoid of any foundation.”
Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said a meeting earlier this month in New York between Mossad Director David Barnea and Qatari officials resulted in the creation of four working groups, including what he described as a “communications group.” Speaking at the Ogen Conference organized with Yedioth Ahronoth in Tel Aviv, Liberman said the alleged group was meant to focus on “media issues and the image of the Qataris.”
Liberman said he understood that neither the Cabinet nor the Knesset’s intelligence subcommittee had been briefed on the matter. “I would be glad if they explained to the Israeli public what happened at the meeting, which working groups were set up and why,” he said. “But when I look at this, I see that we’ve gone back to Oct. 6 — Qataris, Israeli-Qatari meetings, Qatari money, the same Mohammed al-Emadi.”
The Mossad responded with an unusually blunt statement, denying that any such group was discussed or established. “The publication regarding the creation of a communications team for Qatar is baseless, false and devoid of any foundation,” the agency said.
According to the spy agency, the trilateral meeting in New York, which included U.S. special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, addressed a range of “weighty issues” related to the Middle East and the Gaza Strip, including senior Hamas officials residing in Qatar.
The intelligence agency said the only media-related issue raised was a firm demand by Israel and the United States that Qatar address what it described as negative coverage by Al Jazeera, which the Mossad accused of encouraging hatred, antisemitism and terrorism. The statement added that Israel and Washington also demanded Qatar halt what it called the dissemination of false narratives and incitement against Israel through multiple platforms.
Liberman also addressed developments in the so-called “Qatargate” affair, including leaked correspondence he said showed pro-Qatari messaging by officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. He accused the prime minister’s office of operating “like a criminal organization,” saying security considerations had been subordinated to Netanyahu’s personal legal troubles.
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Mossad Director David Barnea, Qatari envoy to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi
(Photo: AP, Yariv Katz, Igor Link/Shutterstock)
“There was never a real discussion about transferring money from Qatar, not in the Cabinet and not in any forum,” Liberman said. He said Netanyahu initiated the policy and formally informed the Cabinet only once, during a meeting on Nov. 13, 2018, when he announced what Liberman described as a policy of “arrangement,” which he called a euphemism for transferring Qatari funds to Hamas. Liberman said he resigned as defense minister the following day.
Liberman further claimed Netanyahu sent a letter to Qatari officials requesting an increase in monthly transfers to Hamas to $30 million, writing that the funds would ensure calm in Gaza, prevent a humanitarian crisis and be vital for regional stability. Liberman said the letter was never presented to the Cabinet.
Also speaking at the conference, Finance Ministry Minister Zeev Elkin warned that Israel was ill-prepared to handle civilian emergencies through civilian systems, despite being accustomed to managing military crises.
Earlier this month, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, rejected claims that Doha funds Hamas, saying Qatar’s contacts with the group began about 13 years ago at the request of the United States. He said all Qatari aid to Gaza was conducted transparently, with U.S. knowledge and Israeli approval, under successive Israeli governments. Al Thani added that Qatar would continue supporting the Palestinian people but would not finance reconstruction of damage caused by Israel in Gaza.