Netanyahu left his corruption trial to testify in an investigation into possible connections between his aides and Qatar, as two of his senior advisers were arrested.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unexpectedly departed from his corruption trial to provide testimony in a separate investigation into possible links between his aides and Qatar, Israeli media reported.
Earlier on Monday, two of Netanyahu’s senior advisers, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, were arrested in connection with the investigation into alleged improper ties between officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and Qatar.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the arrests are part of a broader investigation into suspicions of “contact with a foreign agent, accepting bribes, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering.”
The police are reportedly expected to seek an extension of the suspects’ arrest as part of the ongoing probe, which “is being conducted by the police’s International Crime Investigations unit in Lahav 443,” according to Haaretz.
In addition to Urich and Feldstein, another individual, a central figure in the investigation, is being questioned under caution. The police are also collecting testimonies from a journalist, with the necessary legal approvals obtained for questioning.
According to the report, “further details regarding the investigation have been placed under a gag order.”
However, police sources have indicated that another journalist who reportedly echoed Qatar’s messages will be summoned for questioning in the coming days.
The Investigation
The investigation stems from a series of recordings released last week, in which Israeli businessman Gil Birger was heard discussing the transfer of funds from a Qatari lobbyist to Feldstein.
According to Haaretz, “Birger said Feldstein had asked for help with taxes and had been working with the lobbyist, Jay Footlik, for several months.”
In response to the reports, Netanyahu’s office denied any wrongdoing, asserting that any payments made within the government were in accordance with the law and handled by authorized officials only.
Feldstein’s lawyers reportedly confirmed their client received payments but maintained that the funds were for strategic and communications services he had provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, not directly for Qatar.
This is not the first time Feldstein has been implicated in such allegations. He was arrested last year for leaking classified information to a German newspaper. Urich, Netanyahu’s press advisor, is facing his first arrest in this case.
In light of these developments, Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced last month that the Shin Bet security service and the police would open a joint investigation into the connections between Netanyahu’s advisers and Qatari officials, as well as review the handling of sensitive government information.
(PC, Israeli Media)
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