Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has ordered an investigation into possible connections between several employees of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office and Qatari authorities.

Baharav-Miara made the decision after holding a meeting with representatives of the Israel Police and the internal intelligence service (Shabak), in which “information was presented about the connection between personnel working in the Prime Minister’s Office and officials related to Qatar,” according to an official statement reported by the newspaper Haaretz.

The investigation will be carried out by the police and the Shabak (General Security Service, also known as Shin Bet).

The announcement comes after several media outlets reported that one of Netanyahu’s spokesmen, Eli Feldstein, worked for Qatar by leaking favorable stories to Israeli journalists.

In addition, Haaretz revealed in November last year that two close associates of the prime minister, Yonatan Urich and Israel Einhorn, worked on a media campaign to improve Qatar’s image ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which was held in that country.

Qatar is one of the main mediators between Israel and Hamas, offering political asylum to several leaders of the Palestinian terrorist group and is considered by many Israeli officials to be a sponsor of the Islamist organisation and, ultimately, an enemy country.

Netanyahu’s Likud party criticized the launch of the investigation in a brief statement, suggesting that the case was only in the interest of “those leading the investigation.”

Some ministers in the coalition government, especially those on the right wing, have called for the dismissal of the attorney general, who is highly critical of Netanyahu, on the grounds that she is overstepping her functions and is motivated by political issues.

Agencies contributed to this Aurora article