A-G opens criminal investigation into PMO's 'Qatargate' involvement

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered Israel Police and the Shin Bet to launch an investigation into officials within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office over their alleged ties to Qatar, it was announced on Thursday.

According to the statement by Baharav-Miara, “In a discussion held between the Attorney-General and the State Attorney, with the participation of the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division of the Israel Police and professionals from the Shin Bet, information was presented regarding the connection between individuals of the Prime Minister’s Office with individuals linked to the State of Qatar.”

“At the end of the discussion, it was decided to open an investigation. The investigation will be conducted by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police.”

Two weeks ago, the Shin Bet announced it had opened an investigation following suspicions of ties between senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and the State of Qatar. The confirmation was received in an official letter sent to MK Gilad Kariv.

The Movement for the Quality of Government called on Thursday night for “all those related” to the allegations to be removed from the PMO, as a response to the A-G’s announcement that she would launch a probe.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends the Knesset in Jerusalem. November 18, 2024. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

The Shin Bet clarified that the investigation is also taking place in other government ministries, not just Netanyahu’s office.

What is the background to the ‘Qatargate’ scandal?

In July 2024, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) released documents that alleged that, twice in twelve years, funds were ordered to be transferred from Doha to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

One of the documents was a 2012 classified “top secret” letter from then Qatari prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani to then economy and finance minister Yousef Husain Kamal.

In this, the prime minister said a Qatari Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, had decided to transfer a grant of $50 million to Netanyahu. In a second letter, also from 2012, Kamal said that the money had been transferred to Netanyahu in cash by means of Qatar’s State Security Service.

At the time of the publication of the documents, some of which were obtained exclusively by The Jerusalem Post, a Likud spokesperson said, “These are false and illusory accusations and [serve as] false propaganda against the State of Israel in the midst of a war.”