Israeli Businessman Gil Birger transferred funds from a Qatari lobbyist to a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's media team, Eli Feldstein, Birger admitted in recordings published by KAN's Reshet Bet on Wednesday.
According to the recordings, the lobbyist, Jay Footlik, requested that Briger assist in transferring the funds to Feldstein for VAT purposes. The recordings confirm a report on Tuesday evening by Channel 13’s Baruch Kara.
According to Kara, Feldstein ceased receiving his salary from the prime minister’s office in April 2024 after failing a security background check. However, he continued working for the prime minister until October 2024, when he was arrested on charges of leaking a classified document to the German newspaper Bild on behalf of Netanyahu in order to relieve public outcry over the Hamas killing of six hostages in Rafah due to IDF proximity.
According to Kara, Feldstein’s salary was effectively paid by the Qatari government during that period while at the same time working alongside the prime minister, serving primarily as his liaison to military reporters.
The recordings and report regarding Feldstein’s salary could not be independently confirmed by The Jerusalem Post.
Feldstein’s attorneys respond
Feldstein’s attorneys, Oded Savorai and Sivan Hauzman stated in response to the recordings, “Since a comprehensive gag order has been issued on all details of the investigation known as ‘Qatargate’—and Reshet Bet would not have violated the order—it is clear that Feldstein is not a suspect in the case, and not without reason. As we have claimed from the moment the allegations were first raised, Feldstein has never worked for Qatar, never transferred information to Qatar, and never received money from Qatar. Feldstein worked for the Prime Minister's Office, and all his activities on political and security matters were conducted solely on behalf of and for the Prime Minister.'"
The Democrats chairman Yair Golan commented on the report in a post on X/Twitter. "The evidence that Qatari money—the same money that funded the October massacre—was used to pay Netanyahu’s advisors is an earthquake. This is not a failure; it is a suspected betrayal of the state," he noted.
"The corrupt ties between Netanyahu and Qatar have led us to today's harsh reality: a prolonged war, submission to foreign interests, and a situation in which Hamas still controls Gaza and tortures our brothers in captivity," he added.
העדות לכך שכסף קטארי - אותו כסף שמימן את טבח אוקטובר - שימש למשכורות יועציו של נתניהו היא רעידת אדמה. זה לא כישלון, זהו חשד לבגידה במדינה.הקשרים המסואבים בין נתניהו לקטאר הובילו אותנו למציאות הקשה היום: למלחמה מתמשכת, לכניעה לאינטרסים זרים ולמצב שבו חמאס עדיין שולט בעזה ומענה…
— Yair Golan - יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) March 19, 2025
Following Feldstein’s arrest in October, the prime minister’s office initially claimed it had had no connection to him. The prime minister however later admitted that Feldstein had worked closely alongside him, and even argued that the investigation of Feldstein was part of an attempt to remove him from power.