Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he rejects what he calls Benjamin Netanyahu's current doctrine of living with Hamas, arguing that Israel must eliminate the group instead. In his latest remarks, Bennett argues that this is impossible while Qatar, which he accuses of supporting Hamas, sits on the board of the Gaza Board of Peace. That is why he says that, if he becomes prime minister, he will declare Qatar an enemy. The pledge is not new. Bennett, who leads the B'Yachad party, has repeated it for months, accusing Qatar of funding Hamas, saying Netanyahu "gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza," and promising to keep Israeli forces at the Yellow Line until Hamas is disarmed and to replace Qatar and Turkey with Egypt in Gaza. The vow lands just two days before Israel's general election on October 27.

Qatar rejects the accusations. The Qatari embassy in Washington has accused Bennett of spreading disinformation to further his own political ambitions, and Qatar has served as a mediator in Gaza negotiations alongside Egypt, Turkey and the United States while keeping diplomatic contacts with Hamas. Netanyahu's own stated goal is also to destroy Hamas, and Bennett's critique is that the current Gaza arrangements leave the group in control. The big questions are what a formal "enemy state" label would actually mean in law and diplomacy, how it would affect Gaza talks that Qatar helps run, and whether voters see it as a serious plan or a campaign promise.