Overview

• Politico reported that the White House drafted the apology and that a close Qatari interlocutor sat in the Oval Office to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu read the prepared text.
• Netanyahu’s office rejected the report as fake news and said his remarks were authored by him with his professional team, while acknowledging the Qatari official’s presence during the call without contact with the Israeli side.
• An official White House readout said Netanyahu expressed deep regret for the Doha strike, apologized for the death of a Qatari serviceman, acknowledged a violation of Qatari sovereignty, and pledged that such an attack would not recur.
• Qatar confirmed the call, stated it will not tolerate breaches of its sovereignty, and signaled readiness to keep facilitating talks under the U.S. initiative, following a presidential order extending U.S. security assurances to Qatar.
• The apology prompted political backlash inside Israel, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich castigating it as a national disgrace.