Jerusalem Post Editor Questioned in Expanding Qatargate Scandal
By The Media Line Staff
Israeli police have questioned Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein under caution as part of a widening criminal investigation into alleged covert efforts by aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to promote Qatari interests while working in the Prime Minister’s Office. The investigation, which also involves businessmen and lobbyists, is probing whether Qatar funneled money to Israeli officials and journalists to influence media coverage in its favor.
Klein was summoned for questioning on Monday, following revelations that he traveled to Qatar last year at the direct invitation of the Qatari government and published a series of articles about his meetings with senior officials in Doha. His testimony has made him a key figure in the so-called Qatargate probe, though the specific allegations against him remain undisclosed.
According to a February report on Channel 13, Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein arranged Klein’s trip while on the government payroll. Klein denied that claim, writing on X that he had no acquaintance with Feldstein before traveling and only spoke with him after returning to Israel, when Feldstein helped organize TV interviews about the visit. Klein, who is currently barred from speaking with fellow journalists, has not clarified how he came into contact with Feldstein or whether he knew of Feldstein’s government role.
The Qatargate affair centers on suspicions that Netanyahu’s aides promoted Qatari messaging to Israeli media in exchange for payments. Police allege that Feldstein and longtime Netanyahu adviser Jonatan Urich worked with American pro-Qatar lobbyist Jay Footlik to improve Doha’s public image as a mediator in negotiations with Hamas over Israeli hostages.
Court documents say Footlik, who owns the US lobbying firm The Third Circle, funneled payments to Feldstein via Gulf-based Israeli businessman Gil Birger. In a recording aired by the Kan public broadcaster, Birger acknowledged transferring money from Footlik to Feldstein, citing tax reasons. Birger was questioned under caution after landing in Israel this week.
Police believe Urich acted as a go-between and relayed pro-Qatar messages to reporters, presenting them as originating from senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office. A police investigator told the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, “Urich relayed messages to the media on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office. The messages were conveyed … by an entity that maintains ties to and is funded by the state of Qatar.”
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. In a video posted Monday, he accused police of “holding Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein as hostages, embittering their lives over nothing.” His comments provoked outrage from families of Israelis still held captive in Gaza, who called the comparison “hurtful and offensive.”
The affair has raised additional legal concerns due to both Netanyahu and Urich being represented by attorney Amit Hadad. A senior police investigator warned that this overlap poses a “significant concern for obstruction of justice.”
The investigation was launched in February by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, following reports that Feldstein had previously leaked classified military documents and was employed by a firm contracted by Qatar to influence Israeli media.
Authorities are also pursuing other figures linked to the case, including former Netanyahu aide Yisrael Einhorn, now living in Serbia. Police say Einhorn and Urich promoted Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup through Einhorn’s PR firm.
Although Klein was initially considered a witness, police reportedly upgraded his status to that of a possible suspect after learning more about his interactions with figures tied to the operation. He and Birger were both released to five days of house arrest.
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