The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “madman” forcing Israel into becoming a “pariah state” following the recent strikes on Hamas officials in Doha, the Times reported on Friday.
Ansari’s comments came a day before the Qatari prime minister was hosted by US President Donald Trump as the pair were set to discuss the latest escalation in the conflict, the ongoing hostage crisis, and the situation in the Gaza Strip.
He stressed that “tough discussions to be had” with the US over the Israeli strike and added that the Jewish state may now be seen as a threat.
“The common wisdom was that this threat would be Iran, and obviously, now that perception is 180 degrees on the other side, where the main threat is going to be Israel,” he said.
“Now we have to have a very clear discussion with the US over this new threat perception and what to do with it — what does Israeli military supremacy mean for all of us when Israel can basicall,y at will, without consulting the US, bomb capitals in the region?”
While the success of the strike has been called into question, Ansari said that in addition to the five Hamas terrorists killed in the strike, a Qatari police officer was killed and another was injured.
Israel's military supremacy
Ansari was particularly critical of the disparity in military weapons across the region, claiming that Israel’s military supremacy was a contentious point.
“The radar system in Qatar is the most advanced in the region,” Ansari said. “It has a 5,000km radius, and it was used actually by some of our neighbours to protect against Iranian missiles in the past escalations.
“We trust our radar systems … however, again, it’s with the supremacy that the Israeli military enjoys over all of us in the region that has been put in the hands of a madman.”
“The whole security arrangement in our region as a whole — not only for Qatar — was based on the ability of the United States to act as a security guarantor and deterrent to any force that wanted to destabilise the GCC [Gulf Co-operation Council] countries,” Ansari added.
The official asserted that Doha would pursue a legal response to Israel.
“We will continue pushing until Netanyahu is held accountable,” he said. “The Israelis have to understand that Netanyahu is driving Israel to become a pariah rogue state.”