The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a scathing rebuke of the 17th Al Jazeera Forum that opened in Doha this weekend, describing it as “a select gathering of jihadists and their support staff.”
The forum, hosted by Qatar’s flagship network Al Jazeera, will run from February 7–9 under the theme “The Palestinian Cause and the Regional Balance of Power in the Context of an Emerging Multipolar World.” The agenda is being framed as a policy dialogue—but Israel says the guest list reveals the forum’s true nature: a propaganda stage for enemies of the West.
Among the featured speakers are Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—representing a regime actively arming Hamas and Hezbollah—and Hamas senior leader Khaled Mashaal, a longtime advocate of armed resistance against Israel. The Foreign Ministry’s official X post didn’t mince words, calling them “proponents of the darkest school of thought in modern political history.”
“Would be difficult to convene a more dangerous group of evil than this bunch,” the statement read.
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The Ministry also called out former UN official Francesca Albanese, a frequent critic of Israel now under US sanction. Her platform at the forum was cited as further evidence that the event was designed not for journalism or diplomacy—but for legitimizing militant narratives under the veneer of media freedom.
Notably, the forum’s promotional materials adopt the rhetorical framing of Hamas, referring to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide” while casting the October 7 massacre—where Hamas-led gunmen killed and kidnapped over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals—as part of the “Palestinian resistance.” Nowhere in the agenda is the October 7 attack mentioned.
Al Jazeera as narrative arm
Israel’s response is part of a broader reassertion of its position that Al Jazeera operates less as a neutral media outlet and more as a narrative weapon of the Qatari state, which maintains ties to both Western powers and Islamist factions. The Doha forum, branded as a global intellectual summit, routinely platforms Islamist ideologues, regime figures from Iran, and apologists for Hamas.
To the Israeli lens—and to those watching closely from the region—it’s less a conference and more a coalition meeting.
Strategic implication
In a multipolar world, narrative is a strategic asset—and Qatar is leveraging its media reach to launder legitimacy for Iran’s proxies and Hamas’s political wing. Israel is calling the bluff. It’s not just who’s speaking at the forum—it’s who isn’t. No mention of the Israeli hostages that were held in Gaza. No recognition of October 7. No space for the victims’ voices.
The forum brands itself as a platform for dialogue. But those invited to speak are architects of war, sponsors of terror, and revisionists of truth. This isn’t about journalism. It’s jihadist public relations. Which is par for the course for Al Jazeera.
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