Two suspects were arrested for questioning as part of the “Qatargate” scandal on Monday. Israeli media reported that the two suspects were Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich.
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.
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.
Walla learned that 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.
