Lapid to introduce bill in Knesset declaring Qatar an enemy state

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid is expected to submit a bill to the Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Monday titled “Declaration of Qatar as an enemy state,” according to Hebrew newspaper Maariv.

The proposed law, which consists of a single article, aims to “designate Qatar as an enemy state” and apply all Israeli legal provisions related to enemy states to it.

According to the bill’s explanatory note, Israeli law does not include a single, clear definition of an “enemy state”, although several laws already deal with activities and relations with enemies. 

Qatar has long backed the Palestinian cause and has hosted Hamas leaders since 2012 under a US-brokered agreement. 

It has played a vital role in mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza alongside Egypt and the United States, with Israeli officials visiting Doha for indirect ceasefire talks.

Lapid said on X that the bill aims “to legally define Qatar as an enemy state and to apply all provisions under Israeli law that relate to enemy states to it.”

He added that Qatar has “consistently acted in ways that threaten Israel’s security and political interests over the years.”

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