Egypt Daily News – After his decision to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security service (Shabak), Ronen Bar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to remove the government’s legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, to derail their efforts to investigate the “Qatar Gate” case. This scandal shakes the authority of the prime minister, involving some of his close advisors. On Sunday, March 23, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in West Jerusalem, in front of the Knesset building and the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The confrontation was intense between security forces and the thousands of protesters who gathered in the capital, condemning the recent decisions of the government, which is accused of transforming the country into a “regime that does not reflect the liberal democracy we know, a regime lacking the rule of law and true freedom.” This was expressed with regret by former Supreme Court judge Ayala Prokatcha during the protests.
The shadow of “Qatar Gate”
On a parallel track, the government took a new step that might anger Netanyahu’s opponents. It voted in favor of a motion to revoke confidence in the government’s legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, paving the way for her dismissal.
In this context, the left-wing newspaper Haaretz confirms that this aggressive move was expected. Netanyahu targets the legal advisor and the head of the internal security service (Shabak), Ronen Bar, who is also at risk of being dismissed. The government officially announced its “lack of confidence” in both of them, while the country was facing a critical moment in the midst of its war against Hamas.
However, for the government’s opponents, Ronen Bar and Gali Baharav-Miara represent two of the last remaining opponents in power to Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of growing authoritarian tendencies. They seem determined to shed light on a scandal that causes major embarrassment to the prime minister and forms the heart of the current Israeli political crisis: “Qatar Gate.”
Did three of Netanyahu’s advisors receive money from Qatar?
The issue came to light in February, amid information suggesting financial ties between people working for Netanyahu and Qatar. Three of Netanyahu’s close associates, including two former spokespeople for him (Yonatan Orish and Eli Feldstein), are accused of receiving money from the state of Qatar to “improve its image.”
They may have agreed to carry out this propaganda campaign, even though they held senior positions within the Israeli administration.
The case gained more momentum after the initial leak of information about a month ago. On Sunday, March 23, Haaretz revealed efforts by Netanyahu’s close associates to organize social media campaigns in favor of Qatar.
For her part, the Israeli government legal advisor Gali Baharav-Miara ordered a criminal investigation at the end of February into the alleged relations between the prime minister’s advisors and Qatar. The Jerusalem Post reported that the investigation is ongoing, and that the police “need to intensify their efforts” to uncover more about the charges of corruption and collusion with a foreign power.
John Strawson, an expert in international law and Middle Eastern affairs at the University of East London, says this scandal “is apparently one of a series of complex cases targeting Benjamin Netanyahu.”
In fact, Netanyahu has faced a number of legal issues for nearly a decade, including accusations of accepting bribes in a massive submarine purchase deal from Germany, and corruption suspicions involving a Hollywood film producer and an Australian billionaire.
However, the “Qatar Gate” case includes all the elements to potentially destroy Netanyahu’s political life. Karolina Zielińska, a researcher specializing in Israeli affairs at the University of Vistula in Warsaw, Poland, says: “Objectively, in any democratic country, such accusations should push the prime minister to resign.”
Zielińska emphasizes that “the scandal has taken on a more serious character, as the prime minister’s advisors are accused of receiving money from a state, Qatar, which is fueling an aggressive propaganda campaign against Israel.” “Qatari businessmen” are accused of paying the salary of Netanyahu’s advisor Eli Feldstein directly for an unspecified period during 2024, even though he held the position of military spokesman for the prime minister during the Gaza war.
A Judicial and Political Scandal
The investigation currently focuses only on Netanyahu’s advisors, but Zielińska says, “One of the key questions is whether the prime minister was aware of these matters.” Even if he wasn’t directly involved, such a scandal raises questions about how a foreign state might exploit Netanyahu’s advisors to influence government decisions.
Haaretz confirms that the Israeli prime minister is keen to see this scandal disappear “because it is not just one scandal, but two.” There is the judicial aspect, which involves several of his close advisors, and the political one. John Strawson explains that between 2018 and 2021, “Benjamin Netanyahu pursued a policy that allowed Qatar to provide financial support to Hamas [editor’s note: which was facing financial difficulties], as the authority managing the Gaza Strip. This move was considered a way to maintain competition between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”
However, CNN suggests that part of this money may have been used to strengthen Hamas’s military wing. According to Strawson, “It seems that the policy promoted by Benjamin Netanyahu facilitated the actions of those responsible for the atrocities,” during the attack on Israel on October 7.
This, according to Strawson, is one of the reasons Netanyahu is reluctant to establish a commission to investigate the October 7 attacks. With the Qatar Gate scandal, this issue may resurface.
Thus, Netanyahu seems to have a vested interest in replacing the head of the internal security service (Shabak) and the legal advisor, according to experts who spoke to France 24. The Israeli prime minister is currently using a distinctly “Trumpian” rhetoric to reduce the risks posed by the “Qatar Gate” scandal. Karolina Zielińska believes that “Netanyahu portrays the matter as a battle against institutions corrupted by the deep state that seeks to bring him down. In the context of political polarization in Israel, his supporters may view this battle as legitimate.”
Will protests and opposition efforts succeed in confronting Netanyahu’s agenda? John Strawson doubts it, saying: “We will see, under current circumstances, Benjamin Netanyahu will have to avoid holding early elections with uncertain results, even if he is forced to prolong a bloody war in Gaza that puts the lives of hostages still in Hamas’s hands at risk.”
