Latest news with #Qatar-gate
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel PM attacks Qatar probe as 'witch hunt' after aides arrested
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced an investigation into possible links between his aides and Qatar as a "witch hunt", after he gave testimony to police. An adviser and a former spokesman were arrested on Monday over alleged payments from the Gulf Arab state as part of the probe, which has been dubbed "Qatar-gate". They have denied any wrongdoing. Netanyahu, who has not been named as a suspect, accused the police of holding the two men as "hostages", adding: "There is no case." A Qatari official also dismissed the probe as a "smear campaign" against Qatar, which has played a key role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas during the war in Gaza. It comes as Netanyahu faces escalating protests in Israel over his policies, including the resumption of Israel's offensive against Hamas before securing the release of all the remaining hostages, the dismissal of the director of the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the advancement of a controversial plan to overhaul the judiciary. Israel's Supreme Court freezes PM's order to sack security chief Prominent Jewish figures boycott Israel antisemitism event over far-right guests On Monday, Israel's police force announced that two suspects had been detained as part of an investigation into ties between the prime minister's office and Qatar. It provided no further details, citing a court-imposed gag order on the case. Israeli media reports subsequently identified them as Yonatan Urich, a very close adviser to Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman in the prime minister's office, and said they were suspected of contact with a foreign agent, money laundering, bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Netanyahu later cut short an appearance at his separate trial on corruption charges, which he denies, to provide recorded testimony to police investigating the case at his office in Jerusalem. After being questioned, Netanyahu posted a video online in which he condemned both the arrests and the wider investigation. "I understood that it was a political investigation but I didn't realise how political it was," he said. "They are holding Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein as hostages, making their lives miserable over nothing." "There is no case, there is absolutely nothing, just a political witch hunt, nothing else." The prime minister's Likud party also issued a statement accusing the attorney general's office and the Shin Bet chief of "fabricating" the case and attempting to "terrorise Yonatan Urich in order to extract from him false testimony against the prime minister through blackmail". On Tuesday, a judge at Rishon LeZion Magistrates' Court extended Urich and Feldstein's detention by three days, saying there were "reasonable suspicions" that required a thorough investigation. The police had requested a nine-day extension. Judge Menahem Mizrahi said in a decision that investigators suspected that the two men had acted to "promote Qatar in a positive light" and "spread negative messages about Egypt" and its role as another mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks. For this purpose, the judge said, a "business and economic connection" was created between a US lobbying firm working for Qatar "through the mediation of [Urich] in return for monetary payments which were passed to [Feldstein]" through an Israeli businessman. Last week, Israeli media published a recording in which the businessman was heard saying that he had transferred funds to Feldstein on behalf of a US lobbyist working for Qatar. At the time, Feldstein's lawyers said the payments were "for strategic and communications services Feldstein provided to the prime minister's office, not for Qatar". They also said Feldstein was not aware of any connection between the businessman and other parties, including Qatar. Ulrich's lawyers said he denied involvement. A police representative told Judge Mizrahi on Tuesday that Urich was also suspected of passing journalists messages from a source linked to Qatar, which were presented as if they came from senior Israeli political or security officials. Ulrich's legal team, which includes Netanyahu's defence lawyer Amit Hadad, said they would submit a request to lift the gag order on the case to expose "the injustice done to him". The judge went on to approve the request, saying the gag order had been repeatedly violated. A Qatari official told the Financial Times: "This is not the first time we have been the subject of a smear campaign by those who do not want to see an end to this conflict [the Gaza war] or the remaining hostages returned to their families." Qatar has long championed the Palestinian cause and host political leaders of Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, the US and other countries. Between 2018 and the start of the current war, which was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, the Gulf state provided hundreds of millions of dollars of aid for Gaza. Israeli governments allowed the money to be transferred to pay the wages of civil servants in Gaza's Hamas-run government, support the poorest families, and fund fuel deliveries for the territory's sole power plant. However, critics asserted that it was helping Hamas to stay in power and fund its military activities. Since the war, Qatar has helped, along with the US and Egypt, to broker two ceasefire and hostage release deals between Israel and Hamas. The most recent lasted between 19 January and 18 March, when Israel renewed its air and ground campaign, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal for an extension and the release of its 59 remaining hostages. Hamas accused Israel of violating the original deal. Netanyahu claimed that the "sole purpose" of the Qatar-gate investigation was to prevent the dismissal of the director of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, which has been participating in the probe, and to "topple a right-wing prime minister". The government fired Ronen Bar on 21 March, saying it had lost trust in him over the failure to prevent Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. However, the supreme court suspended the dismissal pending a hearing on 8 April in response to petitions from opposition political parties and a non-governmental organisation, which said the move was made for inappropriate reasons and constituted a severe conflict of interest. Bar will remain in post until the supreme court rules on the petitions, although the court permitted the prime minister to interview potential replacements in the meantime. On Tuesday, Netanyahu's office announced that he had reversed a decision made the previous day to appoint former navy commander Vice Adm Eli Sharvit as the next Shin Bet chief. "The prime minister thanked Vice Adm Sharvit for his willingness to be called to duty but informed him that, after further consideration, he intends to examine other candidates," a statement said. That decision came after Likud officials criticised Sharvit's participation in the 2023 mass protests against the judicial overhaul. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also described Sharvit's appointment as "problematic" in response to a recent article criticising President Donald Trump's policies on climate change.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Israel PM attacks Qatar probe as 'witch hunt' after aides arrested
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced an investigation into possible links between his aides and Qatar as a "witch hunt", after he gave testimony to adviser and a former spokesman were arrested on Monday over alleged payments from the Gulf Arab state as part of the probe, which has been dubbed "Qatar-gate". They have denied any who has not been named as a suspect, accused the police of holding the two men as "hostages", adding: "There is no case."A Qatari official also dismissed the probe as a "smear campaign" against Qatar, which has played a key role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas during the war in Gaza. It comes as Netanyahu faces escalating protests in Israel over his policies, including the resumption of Israel's offensive against Hamas before securing the release of all the remaining hostages, the dismissal of the director of the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the advancement of a controversial plan to overhaul the judiciary. On Monday, Israel's police force announced that two suspects had been detained as part of an investigation into ties between the prime minister's office and Qatar. It provided no further details, citing a court-imposed gag order on the media reports subsequently identified them as Yonatan Urich, a very close adviser to Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman in the prime minister's office, and said they were suspected of contact with a foreign agent, money laundering, bribery, fraud, and breach of later cut short an appearance at his separate trial on corruption charges, which he denies, to provide recorded testimony to police investigating the case at his office in being questioned, Netanyahu posted a video online in which he condemned both the arrests and the wider investigation."I understood that it was a political investigation but I didn't realise how political it was," he said. "They are holding Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein as hostages, making their lives miserable over nothing.""There is no case, there is absolutely nothing, just a political witch hunt, nothing else."The prime minister's Likud party also issued a statement accusing the attorney general's office and the Shin Bet chief of "fabricating" the case and attempting to "terrorise Yonatan Urich in order to extract from him false testimony against the prime minister through blackmail".On Tuesday, a judge at Rishon LeZion Magistrates' Court extended Urich and Feldstein's detention by three days, saying there were "reasonable suspicions" that required a thorough investigation. The police had requested a nine-day Menahem Mizrahi said in a decision that investigators suspected that the two men had acted to "promote Qatar in a positive light" and "spread negative messages about Egypt" and its role as another mediator in the Gaza ceasefire this purpose, the judge said, a "business and economic connection" was created between a US lobbying firm working for Qatar "through the mediation of [Urich] in return for monetary payments which were passed to [Feldstein]" through an Israeli week, Israeli media published a recording in which the businessman was heard saying that he had transferred funds to Feldstein on behalf of a US lobbyist working for the time, Feldstein's lawyers said the payments were "for strategic and communications services Feldstein provided to the prime minister's office, not for Qatar". They also said Feldstein was not aware of any connection between the businessman and other parties, including Qatar. Ulrich's lawyers said he denied involvement.A police representative told Judge Mizrahi on Tuesday that Urich was also suspected of passing journalists messages from a source linked to Qatar, which were presented as if they came from senior Israeli political or security legal team, which includes Netanyahu's defence lawyer Amit Hadad, said they would submit a request to lift the gag order on the case to expose "the injustice done to him". The judge went on to approve the request, saying the gag order had been repeatedly violated. A Qatari official told the Financial Times: "This is not the first time we have been the subject of a smear campaign by those who do not want to see an end to this conflict [the Gaza war] or the remaining hostages returned to their families."Qatar has long championed the Palestinian cause and host political leaders of Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, the US and other 2018 and the start of the current war, which was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, the Gulf state provided hundreds of millions of dollars of aid for governments allowed the money to be transferred to pay the wages of civil servants in Gaza's Hamas-run government, support the poorest families, and fund fuel deliveries for the territory's sole power plant. However, critics asserted that it was helping Hamas to stay in power and fund its military the war, Qatar has helped, along with the US and Egypt, to broker two ceasefire and hostage release deals between Israel and most recent lasted between 19 January and 18 March, when Israel renewed its air and ground campaign, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal for an extension and the release of its 59 remaining hostages. Hamas accused Israel of violating the original claimed that the "sole purpose" of the Qatar-gate investigation was to prevent the dismissal of the director of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, which has been participating in the probe, and to "topple a right-wing prime minister".The government fired Ronen Bar on 21 March, saying it had lost trust in him over the failure to prevent Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in the supreme court suspended the dismissal pending a hearing on 8 April in response to petitions from opposition political parties and a non-governmental organisation, which said the move was made for inappropriate reasons and constituted a severe conflict of will remain in post until the supreme court rules on the petitions, although the court permitted the prime minister to interview potential replacements in the Tuesday, Netanyahu's office announced that he had reversed a decision made the previous day to appoint former navy commander Vice Adm Eli Sharvit as the next Shin Bet chief."The prime minister thanked Vice Adm Sharvit for his willingness to be called to duty but informed him that, after further consideration, he intends to examine other candidates," a statement decision came after Likud officials criticised Sharvit's participation in the 2023 mass protests against the judicial Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also described Sharvit's appointment as "problematic" in response to a recent article criticising President Donald Trump's policies on climate change.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu appoints replacement for fired top security offiical Ronen Bar
March 31 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he had appointed a new head of domestic intelligence despite the sitting Shin Bet director Ronen Bar still being in post after his dismissal was blocked by the High Court. Netanyahu selected retired Israel Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Eli Sharvit to head up the Israeli Security Agency from a panel of seven candidates, his office said in a news release. "Vice Admiral Sharvit served in the IDF for 36 years, including five years as Commander of the Israel Navy. In that position, he led the force building of the maritime defense of the territorial waters and conducted complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran." The prime minister's office said the agency was a "meritorious" institution that had gone through a major upheaval in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel [due to its failure to detect or prevent it] but that the prime minister was "convinced that Vice Admiral Sharvit is the appropriate person to lead the ISA in such a way that will continue its glorious tradition." Sharvit will be vetted by a committee that will consider among other things, his participation in protests against government reforms curbing the authority of Israel's judiciary and lack of Arabic language skills and Palestinian affairs experience. The Israeli cabinet voted to fire Bar on March 21 but the decision was frozen by the High Court pending an April 8 hearing. The High Court of Justice issued the temporary injunction blocking Bar's removal from office after opposition and civil society groups petitioned judges alleging the decision to fire Bar "was made despite a conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister, with ulterior motives," referring to a corruption investigation by Bar of Netanyahu's office known as "Qatar-gate." The petitioners also cited the government's refusal to set up a commission of inquiry into the intelligence and military failures related to Oct. 7. The court injunction paused Netanyahu's dismissal of Bar but allowed him to interview potential replacements. Bar had been leading a probe ordered by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara into allegations aides close to Netanyahu held paid positions to lobby on behalf of the government of Qatar, which hosts a Hamas representative office in Doha. Netanyahu persuaded his cabinet to vote to dismiss Bar on grounds he had not been tough enough in Israel's negotiations with Hamas and was "not the right person to rehabilitate" Shinbet following its failures. Baharav-Miara is fighting for her own job after the cabinet backed a no-confidence motion in her after ministers accused her of undermining the government and holding it in contempt. A public committee will now consider removing her. She said the move by the cabinet did "not seek to promote trust but rather loyalty to the political leadership, not governance but . . . power without limits. "The government is seeking to be above the law and to act without checks and balances, even in extremely sensitive periods." The crisis has seen thousands of Israelis protesting the resumption of the war in Gaza with the effort to fire Bar and Baharav-Miara seen as proof Netanyahu is less concerned with best interests of Israelis, including getting hostages back, than he is in avoiding his legal day of reckoning. Netanyahu said he resumed attacks on Hamas to get the remaining hostages out but it has prompted far-right parties to come to his rescue, lending support to his fragile Likud party-led coalition government. Renewed military action in Gaza has also seen his corruption trial paused.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Netanyahu hits a new low — and he's going lower
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit a nadir — even for him — and he will soon go even lower as he foments what could become a civil war in Israel. The current internal Israeli strife might be worse than the situation on Oct. 6, 2023, the day before the Hamas massacres. Beset by a multiplicity of scandals, including within the prime minister's office, a substantial majority of Israelis increasingly fears that, even after 17 months of war, Netanyahu continues to operate for his own political benefit rather than the benefit of the country. The hostages remaining in Gaza — the single most important issue for Israelis — have been abandoned as Israel has restarted the Gaza war. Evidence mounted during the ceasefire that Netanyahu's primary war objective, the elimination of Hamas as a coherent unit, had thus far failed. Unsurprisingly, Netanyahu has begun to lash out, using sound-bite canards that bear no relationship to fact. In a video released last week, he blamed 'deep state leftists' for all his problems. Separately, Netanyahu claimed that Ronen Bar — the head of the General Security Services (or Shin Bet, as it is known by its Hebrew acronym), whom he is trying to fire — had early knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack but kept it to himself. While we in the U.S. are by now familiar with claims of a left-wing 'deep state,' it rings hollow coming from Netanyahu, who has been Israel's prime minister since 2009, save for a one-year break. Prior to Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and Ehud Olmert from 2006 to 2009, both from Netanyahu's Likud Party. The last Labor prime minister was Ehud Barak — a former military chief of staff and the most decorated soldier in Israel's history — who served from 1999 to 2001. The entire Israel body politic moved to the right in the aftermath of the Second Intifada (2000 to 2005), and even more so in the aftermath of the Hamas massacres. The Israeli left certainly does not wield hidden power. Fortunately, all of this doesn't mean the country is ready to give up on democracy or give Netanyahu carte blanche — especially as he is the only key person in government or the security services who has failed to take any responsibility for Oct. 7. As I wrote almost a year ago, Netanyahu continues to believe he is the state. A look at the most recent turmoil surrounding Netanyahu is in order. In what is referred to as 'Qatar-gate,' two of Netanyahu's key aides, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, are accused of taking money from Qatar to provide public relations work for the Gulf emirate — while working for Netanyahu during the Gaza war. Feldstein is already under indictment for leaking stolen classified documents related to the war. Lurking behind 'Qatargate' is that Netanyahu encouraged Qatar to fund Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars, until Oct. 7, as a way to weaken the rival Palestinian Authority and thus keep Palestinians divided. There are also allegations that Netanyahu personally pocketed Qatari money. A recent Israeli television Chanel 13 report indicates that many more Netanyahu staffers may also have been paid by Qatar. A second major scandal involves his attempts to fire Shin Bet head Bar — a first for Israel. The ostensible reason was that he has 'lost confidence' in Bar. Except for the rabid faithful, few in Israel believe Netanyahu's claims. Most believe Bar was fired because of the Shin Bet investigation into Qatar-gate, and because Shin Bet's investigative report on its failures leading up to Oct. 7 also puts blame on Netanyahu for his Hamas-Qatar policy. Third, Netanyahu has come under fire for trying to fire Israel's attorney general: The position of attorney general in Israel is not the same as in the U.S. The Israeli attorney general is appointed by a five-member public commission for a six-year term. The attorney general is legal counsel to the government, head of the public prosecution system, represents the state in all legal proceedings and, critically, and represents the public interest in all legal matters. It is a prestigious position. Six of the previous 14 attorneys general later became Israeli Supreme Court justices. In Netanyahu's eyes, the crime of the current attorney general — Gali Baharav-Miara, the first woman to serve in that position — is that she took 'representing the public interest' seriously and often told the government that it was acting unlawfully. On March 23, the Israeli cabinet took the first step in firing Baharav-Miara. Then there is Netanyahu's attempted judicial coup. From Jan. 3 until Oct. 6, 2023, Israel was facing unprecedented internal strife over his attempt to place the government in charge of all judicial appointments, limit the power of review by the Israeli Supreme Court. In Israeli's parliamentary system, this would have granted immense power to Netanyahu, in effect subordinating all three branches to the prime minister. Recent polling in Israel shows 63 percent fear for democracy and that only 17 percent have faith in the Netanyahu government. Will poll numbers like that, expect Netanyahu to go lower and lower. Jonathan D. Strum is an international lawyer and businessman based in Washington and the Middle East. From 1991 to 2005, he was an adjunct professor of Israeli law at Georgetown University Law Center. From 2015 to 2020, he was general counsel to a graduate school focused on national security in Washington. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Netanyahu hits a new low — and he's going lower
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit a nadir — even for him — and he will soon go even lower as he foments what could become a civil war in Israel. The current internal Israeli strife might be worse than the situation on Oct. 6, 2023, the day before the Hamas massacres. Beset by a multiplicity of scandals, including within the prime minister's office, a substantial majority of Israelis increasingly fears that, even after 17 months of war, Netanyahu continues to operate for his own political benefit rather than the benefit of the country. The hostages remaining in Gaza — the single most important issue for Israelis — have been abandoned as Israel has restarted the Gaza war. Evidence mounted during the ceasefire that Netanyahu's primary war objective, the elimination of Hamas as a coherent unit, had thus far failed. Unsurprisingly, Netanyahu has begun to lash out, using sound-bite canards that bear no relationship to fact. In a video released last week, he blamed 'deep state leftists' for all his problems. Separately, Netanyahu claimed that Ronen Bar — the head of the General Security Services (or Shin Bet, as it is known by its Hebrew acronym), whom he is trying to fire — had early knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack but kept it to himself. While we in the U.S. are by now familiar with claims of a left-wing 'deep state,' it rings hollow coming from Netanyahu, who has been Israel's prime minister since 2009, save for a one-year break. Prior to Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and Ehud Olmert from 2006 to 2009, both from Netanyahu's Likud Party. The last Labor prime minister was Ehud Barak — a former military chief of staff and the most decorated soldier in Israel's history — who served from 1999 to 2001. The entire Israel body politic moved to the right in the aftermath of the Second Intifada (2000 to 2005), and even more so in the aftermath of the Hamas massacres. The Israeli left certainly does not wield hidden power. Fortunately, all of this doesn't mean the country is ready to give up on democracy or give Netanyahu carte blanche — especially as he is the only key person in government or the security services who has failed to take any responsibility for Oct. 7. As I wrote almost a year ago, Netanyahu continues to believe he is the state. A look at the most recent turmoil surrounding Netanyahu is in order. In what is referred to as 'Qatar-gate,' two of Netanyahu's key aides, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, are accused of taking money from Qatar to provide public relations work for the Gulf emirate — while working for Netanyahu during the Gaza war. Feldstein is already under indictment for leaking stolen classified documents related to the war. Lurking behind 'Qatargate' is that Netanyahu encouraged Qatar to fund Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars, until Oct. 7, as a way to weaken the rival Palestinian Authority and thus keep Palestinians divided. There are also allegati o ns that Netanyahu personally pocketed Qatari money. A recent Israeli television Chanel 13 report indicates that many more Netanyahu staffers may also have been paid by Qatar. A second major scandal involves his attempts to fire Shin Bet head Bar — a first for Israel. The ostensible reason was that he has 'lost confidence' in Bar. Except for the rabid faithful, few in Israel believe Netanyahu's claims. Most believe Bar was fired because of the Shin Bet investigation into Qatar-gate, and because Shin Bet's investigative report on its failures leading up to Oct. 7 also puts blame on Netanyahu for his Hamas-Qatar policy. Third, Netanyahu has come under fire for trying to fire Israel's attorney general: The position of attorney general in Israel is not the same as in the U.S. The Israeli attorney general is appointed by a five-member public commission for a six-year term. The attorney general is legal counsel to the government, head of the public prosecution system, represents the state in all legal proceedings and, critically, and represents the public interest in all legal matters. It is a prestigious position. Six of the previous 14 attorneys general later became Israeli Supreme Court justices. In Netanyahu's eyes, the crime of the current attorney general — Gali Baharav-Miara, the first woman to serve in that position — is that she took 'representing the public interest' seriously and often told the government that it was acting unlawfully. On March 23, the Israeli cabinet took the first step in firing Baharav-Miara. Then there is Netanyahu's attempted judicial coup. From Jan. 3 until Oct. 6, 2023, Israel was facing unprecedented internal strife over his attempt to place the government in charge of all judicial appointments, limit the power of review by the Israeli Supreme Court. In Israeli's parliamentary system, this would have granted immense power to Netanyahu, in effect subordinating all three branches to the prime minister. Recent polling in Israel shows 63 percent fear for democracy and that only 17 percent have faith in the Netanyahu government. Will poll numbers like that, expect Netanyahu to go lower and lower. Jonathan D. Strum is an international lawyer and businessman based in Washington and the Middle East. From 1991 to 2005, he was an adjunct professor of Israeli law at Georgetown University Law Center. From 2015 to 2020, he was general counsel to a graduate school focused on national security in Washington.
