Joint List chairman MK Ahmad Tibi said Saturday that he traveled to Qatar two days before Israel’s October 27 Knesset election because the Arab television program that invited him refused to let him appear remotely.
Speaking on Channel 12’s “Meet the Press,” host Amit Segal asked Tibi why he needed to travel to Doha in person for a television interview when he could have joined the broadcast from Israel.
“It’s the most prestigious program in the Arab world, I asked for Zoom, they refused,” Tibi said. In his account, the trip was a requirement set by the program, not his own preference to give the interview abroad. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier questioned the trip on social media and posted a photo of Tibi at Al Jazeera.
The visit has drawn scrutiny because of an investigation into suspected foreign interference in the election. On October 28, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ordered Shin Bet Director David Zini to investigate suspected foreign funding and election bribery. Israeli media have named Qatar and Turkey as possible sources of money allegedly transferred to boost voter turnout among Israel’s Arab citizens. Arab turnout was unusually high, and the Joint List and Ra’am gained five or more seats.
Qatar has denied interfering in the election or funding any activity intended to influence its outcome. There is currently no evidence linking Tibi’s trip to the suspected interference, and no wrongdoing by him has been established.
In the same interview, Tibi said his party will not join the next government but will support replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and will vote against any Likud constructive no-confidence motion.
