'Palestinian Electoral Bloc' Under an 'Israeli Guise': Former Qatar PM Deletes Post

Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani praised Arab parties' election gains and Ahmad Tibi in a message describing a Palestinian bloc with influence inside Israel's parliament. He has since deleted it.

Qatar's former prime minister and foreign minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani has deleted an X post praising the prospect of an influential "Palestinian electoral bloc" in the Knesset, "even if under an Israeli guise."

The October 28 message celebrated Arab parties' gains in Israel's election and singled out Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi, whom Al Thani called "brother." Its most revealing wording came toward the end, where he described the political identity of the bloc he wanted to see influencing Israel's parliament.

A Palestinian bloc inside the Knesset

In the English translation displayed in the saved screenshot, Al Thani praised Tibi's response to Israeli parties that opposed the formation of an influential Palestinian electoral bloc within the balance of Knesset factions. He finished that passage with the words "even if under an Israeli guise."

The institution in which he wanted the bloc to exercise influence was Israel's parliament. The identity he assigned to that bloc was Palestinian, with its Israeli form described as a "guise."

Read in context, the sentence goes beyond congratulating parties on winning seats. It welcomes the possibility of those seats becoming a Palestinian political force within the Israeli parliamentary system. That is the political framing expressed in Al Thani's own message.

The personal praise for Ahmad Tibi

Al Thani reserved a separate part of the post for Tibi, praising his determination to secure Arab rights and his willingness to confront Israeli parties resisting such a bloc.

He also described the election outcome as strengthening hope among "Palestinian citizens in the 1948 areas," referring to Arab citizens of Israel. He linked that hope to protecting their rights, improving their circumstances and living peacefully on their land.

The language connected three elements: the voters' Palestinian identity, their representation in the Knesset and the influence their representatives could wield. Tibi's role, in Al Thani's account, was to push back against opposition to that influence.

What the deleted message records

The post referred to 19 Arab seats and described that number as a record. The completed count gives the Arab parties 19 seats.

Israel's Knesset has 120 seats. Parliamentary strength therefore matters beyond the number of lawmakers elected: parties can influence the balance between competing blocs and the support available to a government. Al Thani explicitly focused on that balance.

Deleted, but on the record

His deletion has removed the message from his account, but the saved screenshot preserves its wording, date and praise for Tibi.

What remains on the record is the formulation he chose: a Palestinian electoral bloc able to influence the Knesset, "even if under an Israeli guise."