Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter warned that Qatar has pumped enormous sums of money into American institutions, helping fuel what he described as a “very, very toxic” alliance between radical Islamists and the political left.
Speaking exclusively with The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI at the Republican Jewish Coalition National Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Leiter discussed the ongoing confrontation with Iran, the future of Gaza, Hamas’ remaining terror infrastructure, the information war against Israel and the growth of radical political movements in the United States.
The summit was held at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and featured Vice President JD Vance alongside Leiter and other prominent Republican and pro-Israel figures.
Asked why Israel appears to be playing a less visible role in the latest confrontation with Iran while American forces take the lead, Leiter said Israel remains active in protecting its security.
“Israel is always working behind the scenes to protect its national defense and security. That’s something you can be sure of,” Leiter said.
But he stressed that President Donald Trump and the United States are now leading the effort against Tehran. “The Prime Minister has made it clear on a number of occasions that President Trump is the senior partner and the Prime Minister is the junior partner. Israel is the junior partner of the United States in dealing with this issue,” Leiter said. “And we’re delighted that the United States is taking the lead on this.”
Leiter: Hamas must be completely dismantled before further Israeli withdrawal
Turning to Gaza, Leiter said Israel will not accept a settlement that leaves Hamas armed or its underground terror infrastructure intact.
“We’ve made it very clear from October 8th that ultimately Hamas has to be dismantled, cannot be allowed to remain in control of Gaza,” Leiter said.
He said Israel has accomplished most of its objectives in the war but that eliminating Hamas’ remaining military capabilities is essential before Israel makes additional concessions.
“Before we can move any further in terms of compromise with regard to Gaza, for example, any further withdrawal of ours would have to necessitate the complete dismantlement of Hamas.”
Leiter said Israel will require physical verification rather than assurances from the terrorist organization.
“It has to be verified. In other words, we’re not going to accept promises of Hamas, no smoke and mirrors. We’ve got to see the tunnels destroyed.”
According to Leiter, Hamas constructed approximately 350 miles of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip, despite the territory measuring roughly 24 miles long and eight miles wide. He said slightly less than half of the tunnels have been destroyed in territory currently occupied by Israeli forces.
“But the other 60% has to be destroyed,” Leiter said.
“And we’re not going to withdraw from that security zone until they no longer have any weapons and all of these tunnels are destroyed.”
Leiter added that Hamas’ weapons cannot merely be collected and stored.
“We need to see the weapons actually taken from Hamas and destroyed, not put into some storage cabinet. They’ve got to be destroyed. And we’ve got to see the tunnels destroyed.”
‘Flooding society with bad money’
Hoffman also asked Leiter about Israel’s struggle in the international information war, particularly on American college campuses, where anti-Israel activism exploded following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Leiter said the problem extends far beyond Hamas and pointed specifically to Qatar’s financial influence in the United States.
“It wasn’t just Hamas. You’re talking about an awful lot of Qatari money that’s being pumped into the American system, whether it’s in the educational system, whether it’s in the area of culture, and so on.”
“But it’s a flooding society with bad money,” he added.
Leiter described the ideological combination behind the movement as particularly dangerous.
“Qatar has a toxic brew of a Nasserite nationalism and a Salafi Wahhabism and a Muslim Brotherhood, which is now being grafted onto this kind of left-woke ideology, an admixture that’s very, very toxic,” Leiter said.
“And you can see it in this red-green alliance that’s taking place in some of the competition over the election cycle.”
Leiter said Israel cannot compete dollar-for-dollar with Qatar’s spending.
“We obviously can’t confront it with the amount of money that Qatar is pumping into it. We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. We have to confront it with the truth.”
“And the truth takes longer, but ultimately, it will be vindicated if we’re consistent in telling the truth,” Leiter said. “And we have to hit back with the information.”
He specifically rejected accusations that Israel committed genocide or deliberately starved Palestinians during the Gaza war.
“You have this libel, this blood libel that was being promulgated by so many of the social media outfits about a blood libel, that we committed genocide in Gaza,” Leiter said.
“There was never any genocide. There was never any starvation. It’s one big, bold lie. And we need to push back.”
Leiter has previously publicly rejected accusations of genocide and starvation against Israel, arguing that such claims have been used to delegitimize the Jewish state.
Leiter ‘very concerned’ about radical movements in American politics
Hoffman also asked Leiter about the growth of organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America and CAIR in American politics.
“I’m very concerned,” Leiter responded.
But the ambassador argued that hostility toward Israel is ultimately a symptom of a broader political and cultural struggle inside the United States.
“We have to remember that the United States is undergoing some degree of social upheaval that is unrelated to Israel. Israel is a byproduct,” Leiter said.
“When you have a communist mayor elected to the financial capital of the world, that’s an American problem. That’s not an Israeli problem. Israel is a byproduct or an offshoot of that issue.”
Leiter said addressing America’s educational, social and cultural problems would also help address hostility directed toward the Jewish state.
“So I think that once the United States puts its house in order, educationally and socially and culturally, that the issue with Israel is going to be put to bed as well.”
Leiter recalls Vance embracing him after Iran war: ‘You guys are amazing’
During the interview, Leiter also previewed his remarks introducing Vice President JD Vance at the summit, telling Hoffman he planned to discuss “just how important he’s been for the relationship between Israel and the United States.”
When Leiter later took the stage to introduce Vance, he recounted a personal encounter with the vice president following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June 2025.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States @yechielleiter in advance of the Vice President's arrival:#RJCSummit "is blessed with the participation of the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance." pic.twitter.com/IHePtNb1ZI
— RJC (@RJC) September 1, 2026
Leiter said he and former Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer traveled to the White House for a post-war assessment and were ushered into Vance’s office before meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office.
“When I extended my hand to JD, he brushed it aside and instead threw his arms around me and hugged me, a hug that came deep from the heart,” Leiter told the audience.
“He then stepped back and said, ‘ You guys are amazing,” Leiter continued, before revealing that Vance’s actual assessment had been slightly more colorful.
“There was a blankety-blank before the amazing, which I won’t repeat. You guys are blank-blank amazing.”
Leiter used the encounter to emphasize what he described as the enduring relationship between Israel and the United States.
“The alliance between our two countries, ladies and gentlemen, is an unbreakable alliance of values and of interests,” Leiter said.
The ambassador also directly embraced Vance’s “America First” approach, arguing that a strong alliance with Israel serves American interests.
“We want America first. We don’t want China first. We don’t want Russia first,” Leiter said.
“And as you said in your Quincy speech, Mr. Vice President, we are a model ally,” Leiter continued. “And that is what we intend to be and to remain, your most loyal and model ally the United States has.”
“God bless you, Mr. Vice President. God bless Israel. And God bless the United States of America.”
Vance’s appearance before the RJC came amid scrutiny of his relationship with pro-Israel Republicans, including concerns over his relationship with Tucker Carlson and previous comments regarding Israel. Despite that skepticism, Vance received standing ovations as he entered and left the closed-door event, according to reports.
During his remarks, Vance defended the US-Israel relationship and argued that Americans need to be shown why the alliance serves American interests, while acknowledging growing skepticism toward Israel among younger Americans.