Israel's National Security Council (NSC), led by Tzachi Hanegbi, blocked a bill intended to define Qatar as a state sponsor of terrorism on two separate occasions following pressure from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Channel 12 reported on Sunday.
The bill was initiated by Economy Minister Nir Barkat and seconded by MK Moshe Saada, both members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.
The legislation proposes to create a new classification similar to that of an "enemy state." It would regulate Israel's dealings with such countries, banning donations and trade, establishing a dedicated body to combat them, allowing civil lawsuits, and prohibiting diplomatic engagement.
The bill notably included negotiating for the release of hostages as an exception to these regulations.
According to N12, the bill reached the Ministerial Committee for Legislation twice, at the end of 2024 and in January 2025, where it was blocked "at the request of security officials."
The Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) claimed that they were unaware of the bill, according to the report.
NSC and PMO respond to the report
The NSC stated that it did not oppose the bill but rather claimed that its position was not to oppose it, provided that proper regulation and funding were secured to establish a unit within the NSC to combat state sponsors of terrorism, as the bill proposed, N12 reported.
Further, the PMO denied accusations that they pressured the NSC to block the bill, stating that the matter is currently being seriously considered, N12 added.
In April, Barkat accused Qatar of being the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and called on the Israeli government to take legislative action declaring it a terror-supporting state.
During his speech, which was at the Israel's Defense and Security Forum (Habitchonistim)'s "Year of Opportunity" National Security Conference, hosted by partnership with Channel 14, he also described Qatar as a global threat operating under the guise of diplomacy.
He added that Qatar's influence extends far beyond the region and is aimed at destabilizing Israel's position internationally and undermining hostage negotiations.
Qatar, in March, denied that its humanitarian aid to Gaza reached either the political or paramilitary arms of Hamas in response to the Shin Bet's October 7 probe.