Israels Qatargate scandal deepens with arrest of Netanyahu aides
Israeli police arrested two close advisers of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as the so-called “Qatargate” scandal deepened in Israel.
Jonathan Urich, Netanyahu’s senior media advisor, and Eli Feldstein, his military spokesperson, were arrested as part of an investigation into ties between the Israeli prime minister’s office and Qatari officials.
The two officials were arrested on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent, money laundering, accepting bribes, fraud, and breach of trust.
Netanyahu, who was in court on Monday testifying in his own corruption and fraud cases, was forced to leave the courtroom to testify in the affair involving his confidants.
In addition to Netanyahu, a journalist, whose name cannot currently be published, was summoned for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the affair. According to Haaretz, the police will soon summon other journalists accused of being involved.
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As of today, the investigation is under a gag order, so many details have not yet been disclosed. But according to reports in Israel, Urich, Feldstein and other suspects are alleged to have sent messages to journalists on behalf of the Qatari government. The messages allegedly looked as though they were sent on behalf of the Israeli prime minister’s office.
Eran Etzion, a former deputy head of the National Security Council, told Middle East Eye that it was still too early to determine the severity of the affair, but “to the extent that Urich and Feldstein worked in the prime minister's office and for officials in Qatar, they have been exposed to classified material”.
“At the highest legal level, it could be the use of double agents in the prime minister's office, which would be defined as harm to state security and treason,” two of the most serious accusations in Israel.
'Qatargate'
The affair, dubbed “Qatargate” by the Israeli media, was first exposed by Haaretz in November.
According to the Israeli newspaper, Urich, Netanyahu's longtime adviser, and Srulik Einhorn, another adviser to the prime minister, were employed by Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which the Gulf state hosted.
The two, through Perception, their media consulting firm, allegedly provided services to whitewash Qatar's reputation and brand it as a country that aspires to achieve “peace and stability in the world”.
In addition, they worked to promote the country's public relations in Israel by inviting Israeli journalists to Qatar.
'For a long time, Netanyahu has been waging an all-out war against the law enforcement system'
- Eran Etzion, former deputy head of Israel's National Security Council
In February, Channel 12 News revealed that Netanyahu's military spokesman, Feldstein, was also involved in the affair.
According to the report, Feldstein was employed by a private company funded by Qatar to improve its image in Israel vis a vis its role in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which Qatar is mediating.
Feldstein has also been arrested in the past on suspicion of delivering classified documents relating to Hamas to the Jewish Chronicle, a British newspaper, and Bild, the German newspaper.
These briefings were intended to boost Netanyahu’s image and were aimed at influencing Israeli public opinion in relation to his handling of the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
It later turned out that the reports published by Bild and the Jewish Chronicle were false. The Jewish Chronicle was forced as a result to remove a series of articles from its website, sparking a row that led to the resignation of four of its most prominent columnists and to questions being asked about the involvement of Robbie Gibb, a non-executive director at the BBC.
Last month, Channel 13 revealed that as part of Feldstein's work for Qatar during the war on Gaza, he organised a visit to Qatar by Zvika Klein, the editor-in-chief of the right-wing Jerusalem Post newspaper.
Feldstein, who was not paid by the Israeli prime minister’s office while working there, was reportedly employed by Jay Footlik, an American lobbyist who works for the Qatari government.
Netanyahu against the Shin Bet
Following the many press reports on this, attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara ordered the opening of a criminal investigation at the end of last month, following a “security check” conducted by the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.
Regarding Netanyahu, Etzion said, “If he knew about the employment of his aides by Qatar, then he is in [a] bad situation, and if he didn't, then his situation is no less serious.”
'Netanyahu has his back to the wall. He is desperate, dangerous and unrestrained'
- Eran Etzion
“For a long time, Netanyahu has been waging an all-out war against the law enforcement system. Now, law enforcement agencies are weakened,” Etzion said. “If in the past such accusations would have led to the prime minister's resignation, today this is not the case.”
“It is difficult to estimate the extent to which the law enforcement agencies will succeed or make the effort to render Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister untenable.”
Netanyahu has categorically rejected the accusations against his advisers. A statement issued by his party, Likud, called the investigation "a new low in the political hunt to bring down a right-wing prime minister and to prevent the dismissal of the failed head of the Shin Bet".
"This is not an investigation, this is not law enforcement. This is an attempt to assassinate democracy and an attempt to replace the will of the people with the rule of the bureaucrats," the Likud statement continued.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu announced his intention to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, in what is perceived in Israel as an attempt to thwart the intelligence agency’s further investigation into the affair.
The dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet was frozen by the Supreme Court pending a hearing at the beginning of next month.
Since the “Qatargate” affair came to light, Netanyahu has been promoting messages like those of his close ally, US President Donald Trump, about how the "Deep State" is involved in running the country.
In a recent TikTok video, Netanyahu said that the "leftist" Deep State wants "me and the government to be a flower pot".
Yesterday, Netanyahu released a video in which he said that he was "amazed, I mean, I understood that there was a political investigation here, but I didn't know to what extent. They are holding Jonathan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage".
Netanyahu's response has drawn criticism in Israel, including from families of those held captive by Hamas, considering his use of the word "hostage" in reference to his advisers.
"Netanyahu does not have the absolute support of all the members of the coalition in this affair," Etzion told MEE. Avi Dichter, agriculture minister and former head of the Shin Bet, said the scandal is serious and needs to be investigated.
"Netanyahu has his back to the wall," Etzion said. "He is desperate, dangerous and unrestrained. His entire system of considerations is based on this."
Netanyahu will not hesitate to ”carry out military moves in order to remove the affair from the public agenda“, Etzion told MEE.
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