The Prime Minister's Office denied a report by Politico on Wednesday, which claimed that the White House wrote the script for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apology to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a trilateral phone call on September 29.
"This is fake news," the PMO stated.
Netanyahu's words for the apology of the Israeli strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, "were selected by the prime minister in consultation with his professional team only," the PMO affirmed.
Politico reported that Netanyahu's apology was drafted by the White House with Qatari input, according to three sources familiar with the call, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The same sources claimed that a "powerful Qatari interlocutor and close ally" of Qatar's PM was present during the call "to ensure that Netanyahu didn't deviate publicly from the White-House crafted version of events."
Was a Qatari representative present during the phone call?
The PMO also addressed reports that a Qatari representative was present during the meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in September.
"He was only present during the conversation" with Qatar's prime minister, and "had no contact with the Israeli team," the PMO stated.
In addition, he was present "on the invitation of the US team," the PMO added.