Qatar on Thursday flatly denied interfering in Israel’s legislative elections, after several Israeli officials and media outlets accused Arab parties of receiving funds from the Gulf emirate. Doha’s denial, however, has done little to quiet suspicions, given its history of buying influence abroad.
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar © QNS
Qatar on Thursday flatly denied interfering in Israel’s legislative elections, after several Israeli officials and media outlets accused Arab parties of receiving funds from the Gulf emirate. Doha’s denial, however, has done little to quiet suspicions, given its history of buying influence abroad.
“We categorically reject the allegations that Qatar interfered in the Israeli elections or financed activities aimed at influencing their outcome,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari wrote on X, calling the accusations “as ridiculous as they are dangerous.”
The allegations surfaced as Israel’s Arab parties achieved a historic result in Tuesday’s vote, winning enough seats to hold the balance of power in a deadlocked Knesset. No evidence has yet been made public to substantiate the claims of Qatari funding, and the parties concerned have not been charged with any wrongdoing.
A familiar pattern
Still, Doha’s denials would carry more weight without its record. Qatar has built a reputation for spending lavishly to extend its influence abroad, from media and think tanks to lobbying firms and political figures.
In Brussels, the so-called “Qatargate” investigation has been examining allegations that Qatari money was used to sway members of the European Parliament. Belgian investigators seized large sums of cash in 2022, and the case has rocked EU institutions. Qatar has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Israel itself is no stranger to such suspicions. In 2025, Israeli police investigated close aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged payments linked to a campaign to burnish Qatar’s image in Israel, an affair also dubbed “Qatargate.”
Qatar plays a delicate double role in the region: a mediator in negotiations over Gaza and Iran, and a long-time patron of Hamas, whose political leadership it has hosted for years.
Against this backdrop, the allegations deserve a serious and transparent investigation by Israeli authorities. If foreign money did flow into the campaign, voters have a right to know. If it did not, the parties accused deserve to be cleared.
Either way, Doha’s word alone will not settle the matter.
Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Thursday, without providing evidence, that Arab parties' record gains in an election this week were driven in part by voter fraud, a charge rejected by Arab leaders who accused the premier of incitement.
Israel's Arab citizens appear set to secure a record number of seats in parliament and could emerge as kingmakers after strong turnout in Tuesday's election, galvanized by what they describe as the racist policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to face more constraints as Israel's caretaker prime minister after Tuesday's election, but experts say his government could still retain significant powers including when it comes to waging war on Iran.
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