DOHA — Qatar on Thursday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that it was waging a campaign aimed at influencing public opinion against Israel, calling the allegation an attempt to divert attention from Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement posted on his X account, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said: ” We categorically reject Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation, made in his address to the UN General Assembly, that the State of Qatar is conducting a campaign to influence public opinion against Israel.
“This continuing rhetoric against Qatar is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the atrocities committed by his government in the occupied Palestinian territories and their grave humanitarian consequences.”
He pushed back against claims that the growing criticism of Israel around the world, particularly among younger people, is the result of organized influence campaigns.
“Reducing the growing shift in global public opinion, particularly among young people, to allegations of ‘influence campaigns’ is an insult to the awareness and judgment of a generation that is witnessing, in real time and before the entire world, what is taking place on the ground and forming its views accordingly,” al-Ansari said.
He said if Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians want to change how Israel is viewed internationally, they should focus on government policies rather than blaming Qatar or other outside actors.
“If Netanyahu and other extremist Israeli politicians, who increasingly find themselves addressing empty halls, want the world to view Israel differently, they should start by changing their policies, ending violations of international law and taking responsibility before the people who elected them, rather than seeking scapegoats to blame for Israel’s declining image globally,” al-Ansari said.
“Attempts to hold Qatar, or anyone else, responsible for a global shift in public opinion shaped by what people themselves are witnessing are no longer persuasive,” he added.
Al-Ansari called on Israel to change its policies, respect international law and take responsibility for its actions.
Source: Saudi Gazette