Bought and Paid For? Qatar’s Secret Pipeline to Netanyahu’s Inner Circle Exposed

In a dramatic development in the "Qatargate" investigation, Israeli law enforcement revealed new documents suggesting that advisers close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received hundreds of thousands of dollars indirectly from Qatar.

During a hearing Thursday at the Lod District Court, investigators presented evidence detailing financial transfers from American lobbyist Jay Footlik, who works on behalf of Qatar, to companies owned by Netanyahu's advisers Yonatan Urich and Israeli media consultant Israel Einhorn. The materials included bank account information and invoices that, according to investigators, traced a clear money trail between Doha and Netanyahu's inner circle. The information played a central role in the court’s decision to extend the house arrest of Urich and another adviser, Eli Feldstein.

According to police sources, Urich allegedly received substantial payments at various times, including recently during Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. In exchange for the funds, Netanyahu's advisers are suspected of promoting a Qatari-approved message campaign, which emphasized narratives such as Egyptian responsibility for arms smuggling to Hamas ahead of the October 7 attacks, the residency of Hamas leadership in Qatar, the notion that Qatar's financial support was exclusively cash-based, and the claim that Qatar holds strategic military importance for Israel.

Officials involved in the investigation responded sharply, stating, "The message sheet shows that Qatar infiltrated the 'Holy of Holies' — the Prime Minister’s Office. We are witnessing the depth of Qatar’s involvement in Israeli public life."

Israeli police are now seeking to expand the investigation to question Footlik directly and to pursue Einhorn, currently residing in Serbia.

In a public statement, Urich’s attorneys, Amit Hadad and Noa Milstein, rejected the allegations. "Yonatan Urich has no knowledge of any so-called Qatari 'message sheet.' These documents were never presented to him during questioning," they said. "Urich has never acted on behalf of Qatar nor received any compensation for doing so. The only reason for his continued detention is an attempt to pressure him into providing false testimony. This attempt will fail."

As part of their appeal against the decision to release Urich and Feldstein from house arrest, police argued that the initial court ruling underestimated the seriousness of the case.

"The court erred when it ordered the release of the respondents without meaningful restrictive conditions, despite the evident risks of obstruction and the ongoing need for investigative actions," the police wrote in their filing.

They requested that the court extend Urich and Feldstein’s house arrest by an additional 21 days and delay their release until a final ruling on the appeal is issued.

Meanwhile, the case continues to stir political and public uproar, as the possibility of foreign influence within the very office of the Prime Minister casts a heavy shadow over Israeli governance.