Oct. 7 just a 'prelude' to annihilation of Israel, says senior Qatari official

A member of the Qatari legislative Shura Council told an Arab League session on Monday that Israel will eventually be annihilated.

“There will be no peace nor negotiations with the Zionist entity for one reason: Because their mentality does not recognize negotiations, but rather only… breaking promises and lying… They only recognize one thing, which is killings; since they are killers of prophets,” said Qatari council member, Essa Al-Nassr.

According to the Shura Council’s website, Al-Nassr holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Economics, a high diploma in Urban Planning, and is a brigadier-general in the Emiri Guard. Al-Nassr is also a member of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, a member of the Cultural and Media Affairs Committee, and a member of the Qatari-Asian Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Council.

In his speech to the Arab League, Al-Nassr praised the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and attack against Israel's southern border communities while stating the unprecedented attack was just a “prelude to the annihilation of the corruption of the ‘second Zionist entity’ upon earth.”  

Qatari Shura Council Member Essa Al-Nassr: October 7 Is an Introduction to the Annihilation of the Zionist State; There Can Be No Peace with Them; They Are the Slayers of the Prophets #Qatar #Antisemitism pic.twitter.com/24Pu8LRosj

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) April 24, 2024

Al-Nassr went on to speak about the ingathering of the Jews in Israel as part of a godly plan to see a final battle of Muslims against Jews that, according to his opinion, would lead to the destruction of the Jewish state. 

The Qatari Shura Council has 45 members, 15 of whom are directly appointed by Qatar’s Emir. According to the Jerusalem Post, council members hold very limited powers.

Al-Nassr's remarks are not the first time Qatari officials have made headlines for their anti-Israel sentiments.

Qatar is home to Hamas’ top leadership, and its state-owned Al Jazeera television channel is well-known for its promotion of pro-Hamas content, conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and antisemitic tropes.

Despite all of this, Qatar was chosen to act as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas negotiations to release the hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists during the attack on Oct. 7. There are 133 remaining hostages in being held captive in Gaza, and it is unclear how many of them are still alive.

“I think Israel made a huge mistake when it asked Qatar to act as a mediator for the release of the hostages,” said Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

“Qatar is an extremely dangerous and hostile state, an enemy of Israel, far more sophisticated but not less dangerous than Iran,” he said in a speech at the Jerusalem Post Conference in December.

“Qatar is home to the most influential jihadist propaganda channel called Al Jazeera,” Chikli added. “Its propaganda is broadcast worldwide in almost all languages. And it is this propaganda that ultimately drives many people in Europe onto the streets to protest against Israel.” 

Qatar also plays a leading role in the ongoing pro-Hamas demonstrations taking place on American college campuses.

In November, a report issued by the NCRI revealed a correlation between billions of dollars in undisclosed donations to U.S. colleges – much of it from authoritarian Middle Eastern countries – and an increase in antisemitic incidents.

The largest donor was the State of Qatar, supplying at least $2.7 billion in undisclosed funds.