On Monday, Israel’s police announced the detention of two individuals linked to an investigation involving the prime minister’s office and Qatar. The police did not provide many details due to a court-imposed gag order. Israeli media later identified the detainees as Yonatan Urich, a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman for the prime minister.
Both men are suspected of serious charges, including contact with a foreign agent, money laundering, bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The situation escalated when Netanyahu interrupted his own trial for corruption—charges he denies—to give recorded testimony to the police regarding the investigation.
After his questioning, Netanyahu expressed his outrage in a video posted online. He described the investigation as a political maneuver and claimed that Urich and Feldstein were being treated unfairly. "They are holding Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein as hostages, making their lives miserable over nothing," he stated. He dismissed the investigation as a political witch hunt, insisting there was no real case against them.
The prime minister’s Likud party echoed his sentiments, accusing the attorney general’s office and Shin Bet chief of fabricating the case to pressure Urich into providing false testimony against Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, a judge at the Rishon LeZion Magistrates’ Court extended the detention of Urich and Feldstein by three days, citing "reasonable suspicions" that warranted further investigation. The police had asked for a nine-day extension. The judge noted that investigators believed the two were involved in efforts to promote Qatar positively while undermining Egypt’s role as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks.
According to the judge, a connection was established between a U.S. lobbying firm working for Qatar and the two men, with monetary payments allegedly made through an Israeli businessman to facilitate this relationship. Recent media reports included a recording of the businessman discussing funds transferred to Feldstein on behalf of the U.S. lobbyist.
Feldstein’s lawyers argued that the payments were for legitimate services he provided to the prime minister’s office, not for Qatar. They maintained that he was unaware of any ties to the foreign country. Similarly, Urich’s legal team claimed he denied any involvement in the alleged activities.
A police representative informed the judge that Urich was also suspected of relaying messages from a Qatar-linked source to journalists, presenting them as if they originated from senior Israeli officials. Urich’s legal team, which includes Netanyahu’s defense lawyer, plans to request the lifting of the gag order to reveal what they call an injustice against him. The judge agreed, noting that the gag order had been violated multiple times.