Archiv: BibiLeaks affair 2024 / Qatar-Gate affair 2025 / Israel


23.05.2025 - 23:07 [ vinnews.com ]

Netanyahu Ignores Attorney-General And Court, Appoints New Shin Bet Director

(May 22, 2025)

Just yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled by a 2-1 majority that Ronen Bar’s dismissal was tainted by a conflict of interest, particularly due to the Qatargate affair. Although Bar announced he would leave “voluntarily,” Netanyahu had initially sought to remove him, but retracted under legal pressure. Following the court’s ruling, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed Netanyahu to refrain from involvement in appointing Bar’s successor.

Despite this, Netanyahu announced the new appointment today, openly defying the AG’s directive.

23.05.2025 - 22:58 [ Jurist.org ]

Israel Supreme Court rules firing of security agency chief ‘unlawful’ amid political firestorm

(May 22, 2025)

Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that the cabinet’s dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was “improper” and “unlawful.” The court found the firing lacked valid justification and was based on a “thin and shaky factual foundation.”

Expanding on the court’s reasoning, court president Justice Isaac Amit condemned the government’s failure to consult the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee.

29.04.2025 - 09:48 [ CNN ]

Israeli security chief says he’ll step down June 15, facing pressure from Netanyahu

But it’s unclear if Bar’s tenure will last that long. On March 21, the Israeli cabinet unanimously voted to dismiss Bar from his position as the head of the Israel Security Agency, commonly known as the Shin Bet.

Bar’s dismissal was to take effect on April 10, but Israel’s High Court froze the firing, enraging Netanyahu and his right-wing allies, who can still mount an effort to fire Bar before the self-announced retirement date.

24.04.2025 - 23:48 [ AllIsrael.com ]

High Court grants Israeli PM Netanyahu extension to submit affidavit about Shin Bet chief‘s dismissal

Legally, submitting an affidavit is equivalent to providing binding testimony in court and, in exceptional cases, can also open the door to cross-examination.

This past Monday, Ronen Bar submitted a sharply critical affidavit to the High Court against the government and Netanyahu. In it, he claimed that the prime minister made „illegal requests“ at the end of work meetings, after asking that recording devices be turned off.

24.04.2025 - 23:12 [ New Israel Fund ]

Calling for a New Criminal Investigation into Prime Minister Netanyahu

NIF grantee Zulat, an Israeli think tank advancing liberal values recently issued a formal call to Israel’s attorney general, state prosecutor, and police commissioner to open a new criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for possible obstruction of justice, misuse of the power and breach of trust.

The call comes on the heels of revelations of a new affidavit submitted to the High Court by Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar to stave off his dismissal.

23.04.2025 - 10:50 [ Times of Israel ]

‘Out of deep concern for the State of Israel’: Full text of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s affidavit

– I authorized, following a request from the IDF Chief of Staff, the opening of an investigation into the theft of classified military documents and their transfer to media outlets.

– I refused to draft a legal opinion whose aim was effectively to prevent the possibility of the Prime Minister continuing to testify in his trial.

– The draft of the internal Shin Bet review was submitted to the Prime Minister. It refers to the service’s failure to prevent the massacre, while also presenting the long-standing policy of the political leadership regarding the Gaza Strip and the exceptional and repeated warnings delivered by the Shin Bet to the political echelon throughout 2023 – which were ignored.

– A letter was attached to the review, addressed to the Prime Minister, explaining how Hamas’s military buildup occurred before the eyes of the State of Israel, funded by Qatar and enabled by a defensive policy, and highlighting the need for a state commission of inquiry to investigate all aspects of the road that led to October 7.

23.04.2025 - 10:47 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Israels Spionagechef erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen Premierminister Netanjahu

Ferner heißt es in der Erklärung, Bar habe es abgelehnt, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, welche zu Verzögerungen in einem gegen Netanjahu laufenden Korruptionsprozess geführt hätten. Dies sei auch der wahre Grund für seine vom Obersten Gericht gestoppte Entlassung als Geheimdienstchef, ließ Bar verlautbaren. Zudem beschuldigte Bar den Premier, von ihm persönliche Loyalität verlangt zu haben. Es bestand keine Zweifel daran, dass Bar im Falle einer Verfassungskrise Netanjahu und nicht dem Obersten Gerichtshof hätte dienen müssen, heißt es in der Erklärung.

Die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft publizierte das brisante Dokument Bars.

22.04.2025 - 01:12 [ Times of Israel ]

Netanyahu aide and Qatargate suspect Jonatan Urich has no security clearance – report

Urich, the primary suspect in the affair, allegedly employed Feldstein to help in the work of being in contact with journalists to advance this messaging.

Further filling out the information regarding the case, a police investigator told the court that Urich “and others” relayed information to journalists under the pretense that it came from senior Israeli political or security officials, when in reality Urich and Feldstein were spreading messaging emanating from the Qatari government via Footlik’s lobbying company.

19.04.2025 - 22:09 [ Times of Israel ]

Feldstein’s lawyers decry ‘false’ claim Qatargate suspect did not work for PM’s office in lead-up to arrest

Later, Feldstein’s lawyer Oded Saburai and Sion Hausman tell Channel 12 the claim that Feldstein did not act as a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office in the six months before his arrest “is false and contradicted by mountains of objective evidence.”

The lawyers assert their client acted in an official capacity on behalf of the Prime Minister’s office as a spokesperson on diplomatic and security matters.

18.04.2025 - 01:40 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu aides to be indicted for financial offenses in Qatargate scandal, sources say

Sources told Walla that the investigation will focus on cellphones that the police seized from Urich, which contain deleted text messages that link him to the classified documents affair, with an indictment filed against Feldstein and NCO Ari Rosenfeld for leaking a classified document to Feldstein. From there, it was publicized in the German daily Bild.

08.04.2025 - 18:38 [ Times of Israel ]

At High Court, petitioner acuses Netanyahu of trying to turn Shin Bet into ‘the Stasi’

Head of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, attorney Eliad Shraga, accuses the prime minister and the government of trying to turn the Shin Bet domestic security agency into “the Stasi,” the feared secret police force in Communist East Germany.

Addressing the High Court of Justice in the hearing over the government’s firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Shraga also alleges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to install a new head of the service who would be specifically loyal to him.

08.04.2025 - 06:35 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court hearing on firing Shin Bet chief to be broadcast live

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and will be broadcast on the Supreme Court’s website and the Judicial Authority’s YouTube channel.

Four opposition parties and four government watchdog groups filed petitions against Bar’s dismissal, arguing that since the Shin Bet is one of the agencies investigating the Qatargate affair involving alleged wrongdoing by Netanyahu’s aides, the decision to fire Bar was tainted by a conflict of interest and by ulterior, political motives.

06.04.2025 - 19:53 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Weighs Int‘l Arrest Warrant for Likud Aide Wanted for Questioning in Qatargate, BibiLeaks Probes

Srulik Einhorn allegedly echoed Qatari talking points to reporters and leaked classified information to Bild, Israel‘s deputy AG said. He also failed to disclose business ties to Qatar when working for government ministries, raising suspicions that there may have been a breach of trust

06.04.2025 - 19:06 [ Guardian ]

Is Qatargate a scandal too far even for Benjamin Netanyahu?

The Israeli PM will have to call on his talent for self-preservation in the face of questions about how a foreign power viewed as an enemy was able to infiltrate the highest levels of his government

06.04.2025 - 19:01 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu to High Court: ‚Intervention in Ronen Bar‘s dismissal would harm state security‘

The High Court of Justice‘s intervention in the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar would harm the security of the state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued on Sunday in his response to a High Court petition to cancel the dismissal. The response came two days prior to a consequential court hearing on Tuesday on the legality of Bar’s removal.

06.04.2025 - 18:27 [ Jerusalem Post ]

‚In secret, through lies‘: Political contender Bennett slams PMO over Qatargate affair

„In secret, through lies, through a scheme – the closest advisors to the Prime Minister worked for the engine of Hamas. It‘s madness,“ Bennett, who registered a new political party last week, wrote.

„There are three things you need to understand and remember when talking about the Qatar affair, no matter how many spins they try to feed you,“ he added.

04.04.2025 - 18:21 [ Times of Israel ]

Police accuse judge who released Qatargate suspects to house arrest of acting on personal interests

The police say they feel as though the judge is “‘giving his regards’ to the Judicial Selection Committee in order to pave the way for him to be appointed as a district judge.”

They further accuse him of forcing police investigators to discuss “sensitive documents” in hearings and say he writes his case decisions as though he is writing “press releases.”

“He writes classified things and then deletes them from the minutes after the media has already published them,” police charge.

04.04.2025 - 18:14 [ Times of Israel ]

Urich and Feldstein to be released to house arrest after judge rejects request to extend remand; police lodge appeal

Judge Menachem Mizrahi also levels criticism at the police investigators, saying that he suspects they didn’t focus solely on Urich and Feldstein’s alleged ties to Qatar during the last few days of interrogations, but also used the opportunity to probe the two prime ministerial aides about the classified documents leak from the Prime Minister’s Office, in which Feldstein is also a central suspect.

04.04.2025 - 15:09 [ New York Times ]

What Is ‘Qatargate,’ the Latest Furor Embroiling Israel?

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.

03.04.2025 - 17:15 [ @JComm_NewsFeeds / Twitter ]

Ukrainian President Zelensky used advisors linked to Likud, Netanyahu – report: During the war with Russia, Zelensky used the services of strategic advisors Srulik Einhorn, who ran a Likud campaign, and Yonatan Orich, Netanyahu‘s spokesperson.

(May 3, 2022)

03.04.2025 - 16:57 [ Times of Israel ]

Qatari lobbyist reportedly used WhatsApp group to coordinate with Netanyahu aides

(April 2, 2025)

After Israeli businessman Gil Birger revealed that Qatari lobbyist Jay Footlik had asked him to pay Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein for his work on behalf of Qatar, Feldstein insisted that the funds were actually for his work for the Prime Minister’s Office.

However, Channel 12 reveals the existence of a WhatsApp group between Footlik, Feldstein and Yisrael Einhorn — Urich’s partner at a PR firm who also served as a campaign adviser for Netanyahu.

03.04.2025 - 16:45 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Feldstein, Urich give police conflicting testimonies

Feldstein, who formerly worked as Netanyahu‘s military spokesperson, claimed he received a salary from Israeli businessman Gil Birger. According to Feldstein, the payment was arranged through Netanyahu‘s close adviser, Urich.

Urich, however, denied the claim outright, stating he does not know Birger and has never spoken with him.

Birger, for his part, has said that he transferred the funds on behalf of Jay Footlik, a lobbyist for Qatar, citing tax considerations as the motive.

03.04.2025 - 16:33 [ Times of Israel ]

Qatargate: Third journalist summoned to give open testimony to police

After Israeli journalists Nir Dvori and Suleiman Maswadeh were summoned by police this morning to give open testimony in the ongoing Qatargate probe, Channel 13 reports that a third journalist, Israel Hayom’s political commentator Shirit Avitan Cohen, has also been summoned.

The three are not suspects in the case, and were instead summoned as individuals with knowledge of the events.

03.04.2025 - 16:29 [ Times of Israel ]

Jerusalem Post editor suspected of receiving ‘benefit’ from Qatar in exchange for positive coverage, AG and state attorney say

(Today, 11:48 am)

Klein is the only journalist to be questioned under caution regarding the Qatargate scandal so far.

“In the framework of his testimony, a significant suspicion was formed that the journalist was, together with the prime minister’s aides, part of the mechanism of receiving benefits from Qatar in exchange for advancing Qatar’s interests,” they add.

02.04.2025 - 17:36 [ France24.com ]

What is the ‚Qatargate‘ scandal roiling Israel?

Who are the suspects?

Yonatan Urich, who has been working closely with Netanyahu for most of the past decade, started out as the social media manager for the prime minister‘s Likud party.

Urich also co-owns a media consulting firm called Perception with Yisrael Einhorn, who has also worked with Netanyahu.

(…)

Eli Feldstein is already under investigation for leaking classified documents to journalists during the short time he worked unofficially as the prime minister‘s military affairs spokesman.

02.04.2025 - 11:56 [ TheMediaLine.com ]

Jerusalem Post Editor Questioned in Expanding Qatargate Scandal

Authorities suspect the pair of contact with a foreign agent, bribery, money laundering, fraud, and breach of trust. The court extended their detention until Thursday, with Judge Menachem Mizrahi citing “reasonable suspicion” of wrongdoing and the risk of obstruction.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was questioned under caution but is not currently a suspect, dismissed the investigation as politically driven.

02.04.2025 - 11:45 [ Jerusalem Post ]

‚Post‘ editor Zvika Klein named as journalist questioned by police in Qatargate investigation

Zvika Klein, The Jerusalem Post’s editor-in-chief, was named on Tuesday as the journalist who was questioned by police the day before as part of the investigation into actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein.

During Klein’s testimony as a witness, he was cautioned but the nature of any allegations against him has not been specified.

02.04.2025 - 11:35 [ Times of Israel ]

Businessman Gil Birger questioned by police under caution in Qatargate scandal

Businessman Gil Birger has been questioned by police under caution in the Qatargate scandal, Hebrew media reports, after a gag order on the matter was lifted.

In recordings aired last month, the Israeli businessman based in the Gulf said he transferred money from a Qatar-employed US lobbyist to a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

01.04.2025 - 12:50 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu trial ends abruptly, overshadowed by Qatargate scandal

(March 31, 2025)

The 20th session of the testimony of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his criminal corruption trial ended unexpectedly early on Wednesday, as suspicions swirled around the involvement of figures close to Netanyahu with Qatar.

01.04.2025 - 12:43 [ i24News.com ]

Eli Feldstein, Yonatan Urich arrested in ‚Qatar-Gate‘ affair

(March 31, 2025)

The Israel Police on Monday announced that it had arrested two employees of the Prime Minister‘s Office as part of the „Qatar-gate“ investigation.

The two have been identified as Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, with the arrest coming on the 20th day of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s testimony in his corruption case at the District Court in Tel Aviv.

01.04.2025 - 12:33 [ Washington Post ]

Top Netanyahu aides arrested as investigation into payments from Qatar escalates

(Updated March 31, 2025 at 3:34 p.m. EDT)

Jonatan Urich and and Eli Feldstein were arrested amid increasing allegations that Netanyahu’s inner circle was involved in the transfer of money from Qatar, a key backer of Hamas.

01.04.2025 - 11:59 [ חדשות בזמן בטלגרם - קבוצת החדשות הגדולה בישראל / Telegram ]

משטרה פוליטית לא רלוונטית לאזרחים ח״כ נעמה לזימי מפונה בכוח על ידי שוטרים אלימים בהפגנה

01.04.2025 - 11:52 [ 10 News First / Youtiube ]

Israeli Protesters Violently Clash With Police Over Gaza, Netanyahu | 10 News First

Israeli protesters have clashed with police in Jerusalem, demanding the return of hostages from Gaza and the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The demonstration was one of many across Israel, as public anger grows over the resumed bombing of Gaza and increasing discontent with Netanyahu’s government.

01.04.2025 - 11:46 [ Associated Press / Youtube ]

LIVE: Protest against Netanyahu in Jerusalem over security shakeup

Streamed live 17 hours ago #netanyahu #israel #live
Watch live as protesters rally against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu following his nomination of a new domestic security chief, Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit, after he moved to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar over a crisis of confidence that critics say is politically motivated.

01.04.2025 - 11:34 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Thousands of Protesters Block All Entrances to the Knesset

Several thousands of protesters against the far-right government and in support for the immediate release of the hostages blocked Monday, March 31, all entrances to the Knesset in Jerusalem, as part of the 14th consecutive day of mass protests.

30.03.2025 - 15:55 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Tens of Thousands of People Demonstrated Across Israel for Another Consecutive Week

For another consecutive week, tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Israel Saturday evening (March 29) for the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza and against the war in Gaza and the far-right government.

A rally against the government led by a coalition of protest groups was held at 6:30 p.m. at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square. After the demonstration, protesters marched to Begin Road to join hostages’ families demonstrating there at 8 p.m. Separately, a rally at Hostages Square at 8 p.m. organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum

29.03.2025 - 18:47 [ LIVE CGTN Europe / Youtube ]

LIVE: Israeli anti-government activists and relatives of hostages protest in Tel Aviv

(video)

29.03.2025 - 17:28 [ DD Cyprus1Click / Youtube ]

Israeli anti-government activists and relatives of hostages protest in Tel Aviv

Anti-government protesters march from Habima Square to Begin Gate where they will join relatives of hostages to call on the government to cease fire in Gaza and secure the release of all hostages in Hamas captivity.

29.03.2025 - 17:17 [ Times of Israel ]

Anti-government protesters begin rallying in Tel Aviv, other locations nationwide

Anti-government protesters gather at Habima Square in Tel Aviv and in cities and junctions across the country for weekly demonstrations.