An Israeli court on Tuesday extended by two days the detention of two advisers to prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They were arrested on Monday on suspicion of advancing Qatari interests in an affair known as Qatargate.
The police had asked to extend the remand of Jonathan Urich and Eli Feldstein by nine days but the court ruled they will remain in custody until Thursday morning.
The suspicions against the two include contact with a foreign agent while employed in the prime minister’s office, bribery, fraud and breach of trust, as well as financial crimes including money laundering.
The judge in the case clarified that the suspicion is that the two aides, together with an Israeli businessman based in the Gulf, worked to disseminate messages to journalists for stories that were sympathetic to Qatar while minimising Egypt’s role as an honest broker in negotiations to end the Gaza war and release Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
According to police, the messages from Qatar were presented as if they originated from the prime minister’s office.
Qatar and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. Before the Gaza war, Qatar funded the Hamas-run government in the coastal enclave, with Israel’s approval, and has worked as a mediator between Israel and Hamas during the conflict.
Qatar has termed the allegations a “smear campaign” and has promised to continue with its mediation efforts.
It remains unclear if Mr Netanyahu was aware of the alleged links with Qatar. He was also questioned by police detectives on Monday night, after which he released a video alleging a political witch hunt and accusing the police of seeking to “topple” his “right-wing government”.
Complicating the affair is the fact that Mr Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, is also representing Mr Urich, creating a potential conflict of interests.
Mr Feldstein had failed to receive security clearance to work in the prime minister’s office but was employed anyway. He was arrested last year on charges of leaking stolen classified intelligence to foreign news outlets, and was later released.
The Israel Security Agency (ISA) Shin Bet is heading the Qatargate investigation together with the police. This has led to speculation that one of the reasons behind Mr Netanyahu’s decision last month to fire ISA head, Ronen Bar, was to end the investigation.
On Monday Mr Netanyahu announced that he had chosen the former Israel navy chief, Eli Sharvit, to replace Mr Bar. On Tuesday he backtracked after images were posted on social media showing Mr Sharvit, draped in Israeli flag, participating in demonstrations against the Netanyahu government’s attempt to overhaul the judiciary.
