Opposition leader Yair Lapid held a small, closed-door meeting in December 2025 with senior Qatari representatives in Paris, without the presence of the families of hostages—contrary to the version he later presented publicly, Kan News revealed on Monday morning.

According to the report, the first meeting took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris and included only Lapid, members of his staff, and Qatari representatives. Later that same day, a separate meeting was held with representatives of three families of hostages—the meeting Lapid subsequently referred to in the media.

It was also reported that during both meetings Lapid praised Qatar’s role in the efforts to secure the release of the hostages. The sides also discussed the possibility of improving relations between the countries and future cooperation.

The report contradicts a post Lapid published yesterday on X, in which he claimed, “I did not have meetings with Qatar—there was only one meeting, together with hostage families.” Lapid then attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his office, alleging that they had maintained serious financial and security ties with Qatar and transferred funds to Hamas.

At the same time, Lapid announced that he would submit a bill to the Knesset to designate Qatar as an enemy state. He said that Qatar has acted against Israel’s security and diplomatic interests for years while supporting and financing terrorist organizations, first and foremost Hamas.

Lapid’s office later confirmed that he met alone with Qatari officials, stating, “As published in real time, Lapid and his staff held a discussion with Qatari representative on the hostages, and then the families of the hostages joined them.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)