Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) testified as part of the “Qatargate” affair at the request of the police, his party said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Qatargate investigations concern Qatari influences on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ties with Qatar of figures close to him. The investigation comes at a time when the Gulf state serves as one of the chief negotiators between Israel and Hamas to free the 50 hostages that the terror group continues to hold as bargaining chips and could bring an end to the war.
Lapid’s testimony on the affair reportedly took place at his house and lasted for half an hour. He was also questioned about a meeting he had in Paris with Qatar representatives and families of the hostages, according to reports. The statement released by Lapid’s party said that in his testimony, Lapid underscored the importance of the Prime Minister’s Office operating according to proper procedure.
The statement also said that Lapid explained why it is “wrong and dangerous to national security and contrary to any procedure or law that Netanyahu’s advisers received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Muslim state supporting terrorism while working in the office.”
Law enforcement investigation
Law enforcement sources criticized Lapid after his party released the statement, according to an N12 report.
“It would have been better if the testimony had stayed with the investigators until the end of the investigation. He should not have published the details he claims to have given in his testimony,” the report cited the sources as saying. As part of the Qatargate investigation, authorities are investigating what acts in Israel, if any, were carried out at the direction of Qatar, especially given the state’s history as a regional sponsor of terrorism.
The investigations quickly ballooned, and other figures were called in for questioning and apprehended.
Police have investigated Netanyahu adviser Yonatan Urich – who is currently under restrictive detention conditions – and aide Israel Einhorn, who resides in Serbia.
Both are suspected of receiving large sums of money to pull the reins on the broader operation to boost Qatar’s image and, specifically, when it came to hostage mediation, to undermine the role of Egypt. Qatar has denied all such claims.
Lapid had clashed with Urich last week in a heated back-and-forth on X/Twitter.
In the confrontation, Lapid challenged Urich directly, writing, “How much money did you receive? For what? How do you explain that a Muslim country that supports terrorism was paying you while you were working in Netanyahu’s inner circle? Did he know? If not, why not? Why did you leak classified documents? Did Netanyahu authorize it?”
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.