Israel, US deploy religious rhetoric to counter pro-Palestinian statehood moves
Analysts say their ‘Judeo-Christian values’ rhetoric aims to rally Western opinion, but risks stoking antisemitism and Islamophobia
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post published the same day, Netanyahu argued that Israel’s greatest challenges stemmed from “radical Muslim minorities” influencing European policy towards his country, as well as investments made by “hostile countries like Qatar in influencing global discourse”.
Netanyahu claimed that “various entities and countries, led by Qatar” were attempting to impose an economic blockade on Israel, including “a media blockade funded by vast sums of money from Qatar and other countries, such as China”.
His allegations came as the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha issued a communique rejecting what it called “Israeli rhetoric that exploits and promotes Islamophobia in order to justify the continuation of its violations and its pursuit of policies outside international law”.