Netanyahu Apologizes For Attack On Doha On Qatar PM And Will Not Repeat It

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State/Ron Przysucha)

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the attack on Doha on Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, saying Israel would no longer repeat such an attack.

In a three-way phone call involving United States President Donald Trump, Netanyahu expressed regret over the attack on Doha this month that killed five members of Hamas and a Qatar security officer, the White House said.

The US said Netanyahu was committed by Israel to refrain from launching such attacks again.

"During the phone call, the Prime Minister of Israel apologized for the attack on Doha and Qatar's sovereignty," the Qatari Government news agency reported.

Netanyahu said, "Israel targets terrorists, not Qatar and, of course, we regret the loss of the lives of Qatari citizens."

"I also want to assure you that Israel has no plans to violate your sovereignty again in the future, and I have made that commitment to the President," according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry citing Netanyahu's statement.

Israel launched airstrikes against a building in the capital Qatar on September 9, saying it is targeting Hamas leaders in it.

The attack sparked outrage across the region and appears to be troubling President Trump, who has since tried to provide assurances to Qatar, a US ally and host Washington's largest airbase in the Middle East.

Arab leaders have denounced the attack and pledged to respond, but there have been few concrete steps after an emergency summit was held to discuss the matter.

In Israel, there was widespread praise for the attack among far-right politicians, who formed the block in Knesset vital to Netanyahu's political continuity and who strongly opposed the end of the Gaza war. Many of them condemned Netanyahu's apology.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich quoted the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and called the "lower apology" a "demonstration".

Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded by calling the attack on Doha an "important, fair, and very moral attack" and saying Qatar was an "enemy state".

"It's time to tell the truth to the world: Qatar is a country that supports terror, funds terror, and incites terror. Any amount of money will not erase terror from his hands," added Ben-Gvir.