DOHA — Qatar on Thursday categorically denied allegations that it interfered in Israel's parliamentary elections or funded efforts to influence the result, accusing some Israeli politicians of using Doha as a scapegoat for their own political setbacks after Tuesday's deadlocked vote.

Source: ANI, 29 Oct 2026

"We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement on X. He rejected what he called a disinformation campaign by "certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media" aimed at dragging Qatar into Israel's internal disputes.

Al-Ansari noted that Qatar has at different times been accused of buying off Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of backing the Israeli political left, and now of funding the Arab vote. "If these claims were to be believed, Qatar would apparently own all of Israel," he said, calling the accusations "ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure" and evidence of an "excessive obsession" with Qatar.

Source: All Israel News, 29 Oct 2026

A new development after the 'stolen election' claim

The denial follows an earlier development Awaaz Punjab reported this week: Netanyahu and his Likud party amplified claims that the election had been "stolen," after Israel's elections committee asked the Shin Bet domestic security agency to investigate alleged election interference by unspecified foreign entities. The committee's request made no reference to Arab-led parties. Israeli media and politicians then aired suspicions that Qatar and Turkey had funded individuals mobilising Arab voters — the specific allegation Doha was answering on Thursday.

Inside Israel, former prime minister Naftali Bennett challenged Netanyahu to "declare Qatar an enemy today," while Gadi Eisenkot called for the suspected interference to be investigated but warned against using unproven allegations to undermine the election result. Israel's election authority has said there is no evidence before it of systematic fraud, and final results were expected on Thursday evening, with no bloc holding the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority.

Al-Ansari said any government emerging from the elections must uphold international law and UN resolutions, engage seriously on the Palestinian issue and respect the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He said the row would not distract Qatar from its role as a mediator or its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. Qatar is currently also a mediator in the US–Iran track, so its public clash with Israeli politicians lands while Doha is handling two sensitive files at once.