Israeli police arrested two people close to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of taking money from Qatar to promote a positive image of it in Israel. This is the latest alleged scandal in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The incident is further intriguing due to the fact that Qatar is a country which has been linked with funding Hamas.
Despite there being no formal ties between Israel and Qatar, it appears Qatar has infiltrated the highest level of office in Israel. Interestingly Qatar is also a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations and has denied supporting Hamas.
In a statement to the Police, Netanyahu said the accusation is baseless and aimed to topple his rule. Notably, Netanyahu is not a suspect in the case. The investigation is just the latest scandal that has plagued Netanyahu apart from the long-running corruption trial against him.
There have also been reports that Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister was looking to dismiss the head of Israel’s domestic security agency, which is also investigating his office’s alleged links to Qatar.
The Whole Story
The investigation is underway on two close advisers to Netanyahu— longtime media consultant Jonatan Urich and former spokesman Eli Feldstein. They were allegedly hired to run a public relations campaign in order to enhance Qatar’s image among Israelis during Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Payments were allegedly funnelled through an American lobbyist.
According to a court document, the American lobbyist and Urich struck a “business connection” to positively promote Qatar and spread negative messages about Egypt. Qatar and Egypt were the main negotiators in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Feldstein was allegedly paid to give those positive messages about Qatar to journalists to enhance the image. As Israeli media reported, Feldstein and Urich could face charges of contact with a foreign agent, money laundering, bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, an English-language daily, is one of the Israeli journalists being questioned in the case. According to a report in the Post this week, Klein visited Qatar at the government’s invitation last year and then authored a series of pieces about his impressions, one of which outlined Qatar’s case against Israeli claims that it supports the militant group. The publication reported that Klein, who could not be reached for comment, is presently forbidden from speaking with journalists. Lawyers for Urich and Feldstein have denied the request for any comment.
Netanyahu has denounced the investigation as a political witch hunt and accused police of holding his aides as “hostages” – language that has enraged many in Israel because Hamas is still holding hundreds captive inside Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the conflict.
On Tuesday, a judge increased the detention of Urich and Feldstein, who were indicted in a separate case for leaking confidential material to a German tabloid.
Qatar -A Hamas Ally?
The nearly 18-month-long war in Gaza rages on after last month’s collapse of a 42-day ceasefire that Qatar played a key role in helping secure.
Among Israelis, the gas-rich emirate is best known for transferring money to Gaza starting in 2018 in an effort to assist impoverished residents. However, researchers and former officials claim that some of the money sent with Netanyahu’s approval ended up in Hamas’ military wing, where it was used to prepare for the attack on October 7, 2023.
Israelis are sceptical of Qatar’s intentions since it houses Hamas’ senior leaders. Additionally, Israel views Al Jazeera, a media network funded by the Qatari government known for its narration building in favour of Hamas and Islamist ideologies. Qatar claims it sent humanitarian aid to Gaza in complete collaboration with the Israeli administration.
There has been no official statement from the Qartari side on the matter.
Qatar has long aimed to establish itself as a regional actor and a reliable and natural conflict mediator despite having previously been the focus of a regional blockade due to its suspected connections to Iran and Islamist terrorist organizations.
However, Netanyahu and many other Israelis have been incensed at Qatar’s lack of action in pressuring Hamas to agree to Israel’s ceasefire demands throughout the Gaza conflict.
Qatar “brings up a lot of emotions” in Israel because it is seen as a key player in strengthening Hamas ahead of its October 7 attack. Before the war, Netanyahu had approved the transfer of funds from Qatar to Gaza as part of a strategy to contain Hamas.
Qatar may have aimed to counter these negative images of it in Israel by paying money for better PR, but it looks like they have miserably failed.
If the allegations are true and proven in the investigation, it would be the newest controversy and scandal in Netanyahu’s government. Netanyahu’s image in domestic politics is already in trouble due to his attack on the Judiciary, his role in allowing the transfer of Qatari cash to Gaza and his failure to bring all the hostages back home.
