Amichai Chikli, the Israeli minister for Diaspora Affairs, on Wednesday became the first member of the Benjamin Netanyahu cabinet to call for a full investigation into the Qatargate allegations involving top aides of the PM.
“There is no way to defend this – it’s shocking. These matters must be investigated to the very end,” Chikli told public broadcaster Kan.
“It appears there was activity here intended to benefit the Qataris. I assume Einhorn also received money. I don’t know about Feldstein, but it looks very bad,” he added.
Bennett calls for Netanyahu to resign
Chikli’s comments come a day after former prime minister Naftali Bennett called on the Shin Bet and Israel Police to investigate the Qatargate “to the very end.”
“This is the most serious act of treason in the history of the State of Israel, because it does not come from marginal figures like the spies Udi Adiv or Mordechai Vanunu, but from the most senior and powerful individuals in Israel,” he said.
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Bennett, who is set to face off against Netanyahu in next year’s election, had on Monday called on the PM to resign in the wake of the serious allegations against his close aides.
What is Qatargate?
Qatargate, as it is being called in Israel, involves allegations that top aides to the prime minister, including Netanyahu’s media advisor, Jonathan Urich, and former spokesperson, Eli Feldstein, accepted funds funnelled through an American lobbyist to promote Qatar’s image.
On Sunday, i24 News reported that communication between the suspects showed they had fabricated information, and worked with a reporter for a pro-Netanyahu outlet to change the text of one of his pieces to accord with their messages.
Bild leaks
Qatargate is one of the two serious allegations that have recently resurfaced against the Netanyahu government. The other being the so-called Bild leaks, in which Feldstein is also accused of leaking sensitive classified intelligence to the German tabloid Bild to influence public opinion regarding hostage deals.
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Feldstein, who spoke to the public broadcaster Kan in a three-part interview admitted that the leak of classified information to Bild in September 2024 was done to influence Israeli public opinion and reduce pressure on the Prime Minister on the hostage issue.
In the second part of the interview, which was broadcast on Tuesday, Feldstein alleged that Netanyahu knew of the leak beforehand and approved of it afterward.
The third part of the interview is set for broadcast on Wednesday night.
Netanyahu denies allegations
Netanyahu has so far played down the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated.
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“Shrulik Einhorn and Eli Feldstein were never part of the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Israeli PMO said in a statement.
The PMO also accused Bennett of “recycling lies in order to divert attention from the serious materials uncovered in the hack of his phone and concealed from the public.”
“Bennett knows that the court has already ruled that “Qatargate” is “Qatar-fake” and that no offense was committed.”
