An Israeli NGO called for an investigation into the source of funding for Sara Netanyahu’s stay at the luxury St Regis Hotel in Miami, Florida, which a Qatari sheik reportedly owns.
The watchdog NGO "The Truth Machine" submitted a request to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on the matter.
The petition raises concerns over whether the funding complied with public ethics rules and Israeli law. It calls for a thorough and transparent review to determine whether her stay was financed through state funds, her private account, or external sources—whether private or governmental. Any undisclosed external funding could constitute a legal violation and erode public trust in elected officials.
The request also refers to recent reports of ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s associates and Qatari officials. Given this context, the petition stresses the need to examine whether the choice of hotel was influenced by any external factors, including potential conflicts of interest.
"The petitioners demanded urgent action, a comprehensive review of all relevant information, and the prompt publication of the investigation’s findings to the public," the statement concluded.
Netanyahu stayed at the Miami hotel last November during her husband's planned testimony at the Jerusalem District Court. Their son, Yair, has been staying in the southern Florida city since March 2023.
PMO-Qatar ties
On Saturday, the Shin Bet confirmed that they will investigate ties between Israeli senior officials in the prime minister's office (PMO) and Qatar, emphasizing in a letter sent to MK Rabbi Meir Kariv that they will be required to "thwart espionage incidents and expose political secrets."
The day before, the PMO said that reports of ties with Qatar are "fake news," calling it a "media campaign.
The PMO statement came out after reports that one of its media team members, Eli Feldstein, provided public relations services to Qataris while working in the PMO, as well as reports that two other members of the media team, Yonatan Urich and Srulik Einhorn, provided public relations services to Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.