Qatar-gate: Eli Fedstein and Yonatan Urich face extended detention after new allegations

The Qatargate affair has escalated into a major political storm, delivering a significant blow to two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest advisers, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein. Police requested a nine-day extension of their detention, citing fresh evidence in a case that now includes suspicions of illicit Qatari funds and classified information leaks.

The affair erupted when police arrested Urich and Feldstein yesterday, accusing them of facilitating the transfer of funds from Qatar to elements within Netanyahu’s office through an intermediary tied to a lobbyist. Sources close to the investigation suggest the money, allegedly funneled via a scheme involving American lobbyist Jay Footlik, was intended to influence Israeli policy or messaging, a charge that has rocked the Prime Minister’s inner circle.

Adding to the drama, Amit Segal reported that investigators confronted Orich with new allegations: he’s now suspected of “disclosing classified information” to Footlik, who works for Qatar, according to Netael Bandel. This bombshell elevates the case beyond financial impropriety, raising national security concerns at a time when Israel faces threats from Hamas and Hezbollah, both backed by Qatar’s regional rival, Iran.

A Tangled Web of Accusations

The roots of Qatargate trace back weeks, with Feldstein’s legal team first hinting at a rift two weeks ago. Facing suspicions in a separate classified documents affair, his lawyers claimed the payment to Feldstein was a “scheme” to bypass non-payment from Netanyahu’s office, implicitly pointing the finger at Urich. They insisted Feldstein had no direct contact with Qatar, framing Urich as the key orchestrator, a defense that now appears complicated by the leak allegations.

Police have yet to release detailed evidence, but the arrests follow months of scrutiny over foreign influence in Israeli politics, with Qatar’s role under particular suspicion since its mediation in the January 2025 ceasefire deal that freed 33 hostages. The timing of the detentions, just as Israel resumed its Gaza offensive on March 18, has only intensified speculation about political motives.

Netanyahu provided open testimony in the case yesterday, a session that wrapped up in just an hour, far short of the four hours police initially requested. Emerging from the interrogation, the Prime Minister released a video slamming the probe as “politically motivated.” He recounted his exchange with investigators: “The moment I was asked to testify, I said I’d clear my schedule, I want to testify now, right now. Not to wait even a moment. They said they needed four hours, but after an hour, they ran out of questions, took a break for an hour and a half, and came back for ten minutes.”

Visibly frustrated, he continued: “I said, show me material, show me something. And they had nothing to show. I was stunned, I realized this was a political investigation, but I didn’t grasp just how much.” Netanyahu then turned his ire on law enforcement, accusing them of targeting his advisers unjustly: “They’re holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein. They’re simply holding them hostage, making their lives miserable. For nothing and no reason at all!”

His usage of the word 'hostage' to describe their detention inflamed his left-wing critics, given the actual hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza.

The Qatargate affair unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions. Netanyahu’s leadership has faced scrutiny since the Hamas attack, with ongoing hostage negotiations and military operations exposing rifts within his coalition. The detention extension request, now under judicial review, could prolong the advisers’ ordeal, already a flashpoint after Feldstein’s legal team hinted at a setup. If substantiated, Urich’s alleged leaks to Footlik could escalate the affair into a national security breach, given Qatar’s complex and contradictory role as both a mediator and a funder of anti-Israel groups.

Will Qatargate unravel as a political witch hunt, as the Prime Minister claims, or reveal a deeper web of foreign influence?