Two suspects were arrested for questioning as part of the “Qatargate” scandal on Monday.
The investigation is under gag order until April 10, but numerous Israeli media outlets reported that the two suspects were Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, former and current members, respectively, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media team.
At least two outlets also reported that Netanyahu himself would be summoned for questioning. The report was not independently corroborated. The prime minister’s testimony in his criminal trial ended early on Monday, reportedly because he had been required for questioning immediately.
Urich and Feldstein were already detained and questioned 12 days ago. Now, they have been arrested and are expected to be questioned under a warning, according to Kan News.
Urich was arrested at his home for the first time, and Feldstein was brought in from house arrest. In addition, a journalist was summoned for an open questioning, Maariv reported.
Amit Hadad, who is serving on Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense team in the ongoing corruption trial, left the hearing on Monday, due to the urgent need to hold a professional conversation with the two suspects, Kan News reported.
The specific details are prohibited from publication in accordance with the law and due to an ongoing gag order that prohibits the publication of any details of the investigation and also prohibits publication regarding the results of the investigation, including the interrogation of suspects and the findings of the investigations.
What is Qatargate?
The “Qatargate” affair is based on an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides. The aides were allegedly involved in a scandal in which they were paid by Qatar while managing hostage negotiations.
The allegations against the suspects include bribery, contact with a foreign agent, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses.
According to journalist Ben Caspit, both the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and police are investigating claims that Qatar funded the salary of Netanyahu’s spokesperson during the war—a spokesperson who reportedly had access to classified war-related materials.
Feldstein is currently under house arrest for allegedly leaking a highly classified document to a German newspaper, in order to lower public pressure on Netanyahu following the murder of six hostages in Hamas captivity in late August. Srulik Einhorn, another former member of Netanyahu’s media team, allegedly facilitated the connection between Feldstein and the newspaper.
Walla reported on Sunday that meetings between Qatari lobbyists and senior Israeli officials had been arranged by Ariel Shafir, a former employee of Srulik Einhorn’s PR firm Perception, and close associate of Urich.
According to Walla, lobbyists Jay Footlik and Gil Birger, who represent Qatar’s interests in Israel, have been meeting with high-ranking Israeli officials through Shafir’s arrangements. Several months ago, there was even an attempt to secure a meeting between the lobbyists and a senior government minister.
Footlik and Birger gained public attention earlier in March following a recording published by KAN news, in which Birger admitted to paying Feldstein on behalf of Footlik.
According to Walla, Shafir’s name was recently removed from Perception’s website, though it remains visible in internet archives. He reportedly has close ties to the Likud party. He serves as an advisor to the Bitchonistim (Security Experts), a group of former senior IDF officers who support positions aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shafir is also involved with the civilian public relations team.
According to Walla, These revelations raise questions about Urich’s previous claims. Just two weeks ago, his defense attorney Amit Hadad stated: “Urich has no idea who Gil Birger is—he has never spoken with him or met him.” Given Shafir’s close relationship with Urich and their professional connection, this denial has come under scrutiny.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu published a video on March 22 in which he claimed, without providing evidence, that Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar opened an investigation into ‘Qatargate’ to prevent his dismissal.
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