TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace is as soon as once more ensnared in scandal after police arrested two of his shut associates this week on suspicion of accepting cash from Qatar to advertise a optimistic picture of the Gulf Arab state in Israel.
The affair has gripped Israelis as a result of Qatar, a rustic that many view as a patron of Hamas, and which has no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, seems to have penetrated the very best corridors of energy.
Qatar, which is a key mediator for Hamas in its ceasefire negotiations with Israel, denies backing the militant group. Netanyahu has given a press release to police on the matter however isn’t a suspect within the case, which he says is baseless and meant to topple his rule.
The investigation is simply the newest scandal to roil Netanyahu, who’s the topic of a long-running corruption trial and often rails in opposition to a “deep state” that’s out to get him.
Critics say Netanyahu, the nation’s longest-serving prime minister, has labored lately to undermine Israel’s state establishments, together with its judiciary. Most lately, they level to his try to dismiss the pinnacle of Israel’s home safety company, which can also be investigating his workplace’s alleged hyperlinks to Qatar.
Netanyahu advisers allegedly promoted Qatari pursuits
Dubbed “Qatargate” by Israeli media, the investigation facilities on accusations that two shut advisers to Netanyahu—longtime media marketing consultant Jonatan Urich, and former spokesman Eli Feldstein—have been employed to run a public-relations marketing campaign to enhance Qatar’s picture amongst Israelis whereas it was negotiating on behalf of Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza. Funds have been allegedly funneled by means of an American lobbyist.
In response to a court docket doc, the American lobbyist and Urich struck a “enterprise connection” to positively promote Qatar and unfold adverse messages about Egypt, one other essential mediator within the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations.
Feldstein was allegedly paid to go on these messages to journalists. He and Urich may face prices of contact with a overseas agent, cash laundering, bribery, fraud and breach of belief, based on Israeli media. Aside from monetary acquire, every other potential motives are unclear.
One Israeli journalist questioned within the case is Zvika Klein, the editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Publish, an English-language day by day. In response to a report this week within the Publish, Klein visited Qatar on the invitation of its authorities final yr and subsequently wrote a sequence of articles about his impressions, one in every of which laid out Qatar’s case in opposition to Israeli claims that it backs the militant group. The newspaper stated Klein, who couldn’t be reached for remark, is presently barred from chatting with journalists.
Attorneys for Urich and Feldstein didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Netanyahu has slammed the probe as a political witch hunt and accused police of holding his advisers as “hostages”—wording that angered many in Israel as a result of Hamas continues to be holding dozens captive inside Gaza after its Oct. 7, 2023, assault that ignited the warfare.
A choose on Tuesday prolonged the detentions of Urich and Feldstein, who has been indicted in a separate case involving the leak of labeled data to a German tabloid.
If the brand new allegations are substantiated, “it’s an abuse of the workplace,” stated Tomer Naor, of the Motion of High quality Authorities in Israel. What’s notably worrying, he stated, is how simply exterior actors seem to have gained entry to the prime minister’s inside circle—and that the advisers allegedly promoted Qatari speaking factors to journalists whereas giving the impression that the messaging was coming from the prime minister’s workplace.
Qatar is a key mediator on Gaza with ties to Hamas
The practically 18-monthlong warfare in Gaza rages on after final month’s collapse of a 42-day ceasefire that Qatar performed a key function in serving to safe.
Amongst Israelis, the gas-rich emirate is finest recognized for sending cash to Gaza starting in 2018—an effort meant to assist poor households. However analysts and former officers say a number of the cash dispatched with Netanyahu’s blessing made its technique to Hamas’ army wing and helped it put together for the Oct. 7, 2023, assaults.
Israelis are additionally suspicious of Qatar’s intentions as a result of it’s the homebase for Hamas’ political leaders, and its broadcaster Al Jazeera is seen by Israel as a mouthpiece for Hamas, allegations the community denies. Qatar says it offered humanitarian assist to Gaza in full coordination with the Israeli authorities.
When reached by the AP, a Qatari authorities official didn’t instantly reply to the alleged hyperlinks to Netanyahu’s advisers. He stated mediation efforts on Gaza would proceed. He spoke on situation of anonymity in step with rules.
As soon as the goal of a regional blockade over its alleged ties to Islamist extremist teams and Iran, Qatar has lengthy sought to be seen as an influential regional participant and as a trusted battle mediator.
However all through the warfare in Gaza, many in Israel, together with Netanyahu, have expressed anger that Qatar wasn’t doing sufficient to stress Hamas to fulfill Israel’s phrases for a ceasefire.
Qatar’s goal within the alleged public-relations marketing campaign in Israel might have been to quell these accusations and ensure they didn’t affect the U.S., with whom it has shut safety ties, stated Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher on the Institute for Nationwide Safety Research, a Tel Aviv assume tank.
He stated any effort to besmirch Egypt, a longtime mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, might have been a means to enhance Qatar’s personal regional standing.
Qatar “brings up plenty of feelings” in Israel as a result of it’s seen as having performed a key function in bolstering Hamas forward of its Oct. 7 assault, Guzansky stated. Earlier than the warfare, Netanyahu had authorised the switch of funds from Qatar to Gaza as a part of a technique to comprise Hamas, he defined.
“Qatar is contemptible. However we should always examine ourselves first,” he stated. “We not solely allowed, we inspired Qatar to put money into Gaza.”
The affair is the newest scandal to canine Netanyahu
It’s not clear what, if something, Netanyahu knew about his advisers’ alleged wrongdoing.
Earlier aides who acquired into bother with the regulation have turned state witness in opposition to Netanyahu in his corruption trial. Netanyahu’s testimony in that trial was halted after Urich and Feldstein’s arrest this week; he was summoned to present police a press release concerning the case.
Netanyahu is beneath immense public stress to just accept accountability for his function in failing to stop the Oct. 7 assault, together with permitting the switch of Qatari money to Gaza.
Mass protests erupted in latest weeks over Netanyahu’s choice to finish the Gaza ceasefire that had facilitated the discharge of dozens of hostages, and over his strikes to fireplace the pinnacle of the nation’s home safety company and its lawyer common.
The try to fireplace Shin Wager chief Ronen Bar got here because the company was working its personal probe into the Qatar hyperlinks. That prompted accusations that Netanyahu was making an attempt to snuff out the investigation.
Netanyahu has prompt, with little proof, that the probe was a results of collusion between Bar and the lawyer common as a technique to thwart the home safety chief’s dismissal. A court docket froze Bar’s dismissal pending additional hearings. That hasn’t stopped Netanyahu from making an attempt to nominate his alternative.
