Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Israeli police of trying to “topple” his government over what he believes is a “political witch hunt.” In a video statement released on Monday, Netanyahu claimed the police had no evidence against the two aides who were arrested.
Netanyahu was summoned on Monday to testify as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial ties between his office and Qatar. The prime minister claimed that he was questioned for an hour before he demanded to see evidence. He said there was nothing.
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Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, the aides Netanyahu named in the video, were allegedly arrested on Monday in connection with the investigation. According to reports, Feldstein – a former member of Netanyahu’s team – is suspected of passing messages to journalists on behalf of Qatar while working in the prime minister’s office.
The messages Feldstein is accused of sending to the media allegedly pertained to Qatar’s role in negotiating the return of Israeli hostages, among other things, Israel HaYom reported.
However, the case remains under a gag order, so charges against Feldstein and Urich have not been officially released. The Washington Post reported, citing Israeli media, that Urich and Feldstein are accused of contact with a foreign agent, bribery and fraud.
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The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Tuesday that its editor-in-chief, Zivka Klein, was questioned by police in connection with the Qatar probe. Klein has previously denied having a connection with Feldstein after an Israeli outlet reported that the former Netanyahu aide arranged a trip to Qatar for the journalist.
Netanyahu says the probe, often referred to as “Qatargate,” is intended to stop him from firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who heads the Israeli equivalent of the FBI.
Last month, Netanyahu announced that he would seek to oust Bar over alleged “ongoing distrust.” However, some suspect that it is related to the Shin Bet’s assessment of Oct. 7, which “pointed to a policy led by the government, and the person who has headed it, for years, with emphasis on the year preceding the massacre,” the Times of Israel reported.
Bar slammed Netanyahu’s “expectation of a duty of personal loyalty, the purpose of which contradicts the public interest, is a fundamentally illegitimate expectation,” according to the Times of Israel.
Israel’s High Court froze Bar’s removal, which was set for April 8, but allowed Netanyahu to interview potential replacements. Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had tapped a former Israeli Navy commander, Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit, to replace Bar.
“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,” Netanyahu’s office tweeted.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
