What Is 'Qatargate Scandal' Involving Israel?
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu aides have been allegedly involved in receiving payments from Qatar, country which hosts Hamas leaders and helped broker the release of hostages from Gaza. At least two of Netanyahu’s aides one current and one former were arrested and Netanyahu was called in for questioning.
Israeli media dubbed it as ‘Qatargate’ and reports claimed that people close to Netanyahu were recruited to promote the image of Qatar in Israel.
With the investigation ongoing some details remain unclear. Allegations of ties between members of Netanyahu’s close circle and Qatar government have been swirling in Israeli media since mid-2024.
Though the Israeli leader is not a suspect, he is on trial over corruption and breach of trust allegations.
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Netanyahu does not seem happy with the investigation as he said, “They are holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage”.
Reportedly, Yonatan Urich has been working closely with Netanyahu for over one decade as a social media manager for the PM’s Likud party. Urich also co-owns a media consulting firm called Perception with Einhorn. As per the Israeli media reports, Perception was allegedly hired to improve Qatar’s image ahead of the 2022 World Cup, claim denied by the Urich and the firm.
An investigation by Isareli Channel 12 alleged that Feldstein received a salary from Jay Footlik, a known US lobbyist for Qatar. He also promoted Qatar to Israeli journalists and arranged trips for them to Doha.
This allegedly links Netanyahu to the policy of appeasing Hamas, allowing Qatar to send millions of dollars in cash to Gaza that many now believe strengthened Hamas and enabled it to attack on October 7, 2023.
However, Qatar has denied the claims as false saying they were driven by the Israeli policies.
Also, Netanyahu’s desire to disrupt law enforcement’s investigation into Qatargate are frequently cited as a reason for his reported intensive efforts to fire both Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar.
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