For years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been standing trial for corruption, even as he oversees conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Now, he is locked in a separate standoff with Israel’s law enforcement authorities, a police investigation that has renewed opposition calls for his resignation.
Known as “Qatargate,” the case hinges on the claim that Mr. Netanyahu’s media advisers were paid by a representative of Qatar to promote Qatari interests in the Israeli news media. That claim has angered many Israelis because it created the perception of a conflict of interest; for years, Qatar has hosted leaders of Hamas.
Mr. Netanyahu’s recent efforts to fire the head of the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security agency, has compounded the furor. It was the Shin Bet that first instigated the investigations into Mr. Netanyahu’s aides.
Mr. Netanyahu has dismissed the case as a “political manhunt” aimed at toppling him from power. The Qatari government said in a statement that the allegations were baseless.
What are the allegations?
According to court records, police officers are investigating whether Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, two aides to Mr. Netanyahu, tried to promote a favorable image of Qatar in the Israeli news media. They are said to have worked alongside a third person who is not named in the records.
Both Egypt and Qatar have mediated between Hamas and Israel since late 2023, but they have not always worked in lockstep. The court records saythe three men are suspected of trying to foster the idea that Qatar played a more important role than Egypt in diplomatic efforts to secure a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The Qatari government denied this claim in its statement, praising Egypt’s “pivotal role,” and saying the countries were “working closely.”
Mr. Urich and Mr. Feldstein were arrested on Monday and a judge extended their detention by three days on Tuesday. Lawyers for both men declined to comment.
Who are the advisers?
Mr. Urich is a former media officer for the Israeli military who has become one of Mr. Netanyahu’s most trusted strategists. He helped mastermind the prime minister’s communications strategy through several recent elections. In his autobiography, Mr. Netanyahu described him as “kind of family.”
In addition to his government job, Mr. Urich also works for Perception, a public relations firm owned by another sometime adviser to the prime minister, Srulik Einhorn. Asked for comment, Mr. Einhorn said that Perception had never worked for Qatar.
Mr. Feldstein is also a former military press officer, and began working as a liaison between military correspondents and the prime minister’s office at the start of the war. He was arrested in a separate case last fall, on suspicion that he leaked classified information to a foreign newspaper.
What is Qatar’s role?
The court records do not suggest that Qatar worked directly with Mr. Netanyahu’s aides.
Instead, the records state that the aides were directed by ThirdCircle, a U.S.-based lobbying group that represents Qatar in various countries, including the United States. Court records show that ThirdCircle paid Mr. Feldstein via an Israeli intermediary. The records do not clarify if or how Mr. Urich was compensated.
Jay Footlik, ThirdCircle’s founder and a former aide to President Bill Clinton, declined to comment.
The Qatari government statement said the allegations “serve only the agendas of those who seek to sabotage the mediation efforts and undermine relations between nations.”
How is Mr. Netanyahu involved?
The prime minister is not a suspect in the case, but he was questioned by police officers for more than an hour on Monday evening.
To make that meeting, Mr. Netanyahu was forced to depart early from his separate corruption trial. In that case, he is accused of granting regulatory favors to businessmen and media executives in exchange for bribes and positive coverage. He denies those charges.
What is the Shin Bet’s role?
Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, has been closely involved with the investigations into the aides.
When Mr. Netanyahu tried last month to fire the agency’s director, Ronen Bar, it fueled accusations that he was punishing Mr. Bar for pursuing the cases.
Mr. Netanyahu denied the claim. He said that Mr. Bar was being fired because of a breakdown of trust between the two men and because of lapses by the Shin Bet in the hours preceding Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
Why has the case touched a nerve?
For years, Qatar has hosted senior members of Hamas. Since 2018, Qatar has also sent more than $1 billion in aid money to civilians in Gaza.
U.S. officials quietly supported the first arrangement and the Israeli government directly requested the second. Still, Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents are furious that officials privy to Israeli state secrets might simultaneously represent a country that works so closely with an Israeli enemy.
Mr. Netanyahu’s clash with the Shin Bet has also created the perception of a conflict of interest. More generally, the case has amplified criticism that he is fighting too many personal battles to govern effectively. And it has exacerbated fears that Mr. Netanyahu’s broader effort to overhaul the judiciary is rooted in personal grievance.
Myra Noveck contributed reporting from Jerusalem, and Gabby Sobelman from Rehovot, Israel.
