Opinion piece links Qatari media to rise in antisemitism after October 7

The piece was written by Suzan Quitaz, who states she worked for more than a decade as a freelance producer for Al Jazeera documentaries. She describes the Al Jazeera Group as part of a larger network that includes AJ Arabic, AJ English, AJ+, and Faadat Media, all of which she says coordinate messaging aligned with Qatar’s foreign policy.

Media reach and coordination Quitaz reports that Al Jazeera recorded more than 8.5 billion views across its platforms during the period from the start of what she terms the “US-Israel war against the Iranian regime” to a later pause in military operations.

She states that all Qatari media outlets share a common editorial line that includes criticism of Israel and amplification of groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The article claims that key editorial appointments are made to ensure alignment with Qatar’s positions and that this coordinated output has influenced coverage in Western media.

Funding and institutional influence According to the article, Qatar spent more than $781 per capita on foreign lobbying in the United States between 2016 and 2024, compared with $20 per capita for Israel. It also states that Qatar has donated over $6 billion to U.S. universities in the past decade and approximately €72 million to mosques and Islamic centers in Europe.

Quitaz writes that these investments are intended to shape academic curricula and public discourse in line with Qatar’s political objectives.

Antisemitism claims The opinion piece states that antisemitic incidents in Western countries increased after October 7, 2023, including harassment, vandalism, and physical attacks on Jewish communities. ” The author compares these narratives to historical blood libels and states that similar accusations were not applied to other countries involved in past conflicts.

“I am not a scholar of antisemitism, but I am a journalist who spent over a decade working for Qatari media empire, including being a freelance producer for a number of documentaries for Al Jazeera.”