Among the most high-profile speakers at this weekend’s Doha Forum in the Qatari capital are Tucker Carlson, his business partner Neil Patel and investor Omeed Malik — a lineup raising eyebrows given Carlson’s recent track record of credulously hosting antisemitic and Holocaust-denying guests on his right-wing podcast. 

The conference, which is partnered with a panoply of elite institutions from CNN to the Atlantic Council, will bring together Trump administration officials, ambassadors, politicians and philanthropists alongside figures who hold fringe or hostile views of Israel and U.S. Middle East policy.

The forum’s layout elevates voices aligned with Doha’s regional agenda while pairing them with Western political, philanthropic and corporate leaders — a mix that lends legitimacy to speakers with out-of-the-mainstream views.

Carlson — who launched the Tucker Carlson Network in 2023 with co-founder and CEO Patel after being fired from Fox News — has been one of the leading right-wing voices who is “elevating antisemitic ideas on the American right,” in the characterization of conservative Washington Post columnist Jason Willick. Earlier this year, Carlson came under fire for holding a friendly interview with neo-Nazi commentator Nick Fuentes.

His interview on the Doha Forum stage on Sunday will take place in conversation with the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, an indication of his prominence at the confab.

Malik is an Iranian-American investor whose firm, 1789 Capital, was a major early backer of Carlson’s media venture. Malik is scheduled to speak alongside Donald Trump Jr., who is a partner of the company, after Carlson’s appearance.

Meanwhile, Patel will be speaking during a session called, “What Happens Now? Media Power and the Search for Truth in the Age of Distrust,” standing in stark contrast to accusations by Carlson’s critics that the podcaster often promotes unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. 

Beyond the Carlson orbit, the Doha Forum speaker list includes appearances by other leading anti-Israel voices including former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, sanctioned U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese and former Iran envoy Rob Malley, who had his security clearance suspended in 2023 amid allegations of mishandling classified information.

Those voices will be mixed with a more traditional cast of guests, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker and Heritage Foundation senior fellow Victoria Coates.

The conference will feature several panels focused on Israel, including one titled “The Gaza Reckoning: Reassessing Global Responsibilities and Pathways to Peace.”