Some 55.5% of Jewish Israelis believe that despite his denials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was aware of the links between his close advisers and Qatar, according to the Israel Democracy Institute’s March 2025 Israeli Voice Index survey.
It showed that only 25.5% of Jews believe the prime minister did not know about the links in question. The rest said they did not have an opinion.
Among Arab-Israelis, 71% said they believed that Netanyahu knew, while just 9% said they believed he did not.
On a breakdown based on political orientation, 91.5% of people who defined themselves as left wing believed that the prime minister was aware of the links to Qatar, while only 3.5% that believed he did not know; 74% of people in the Center believed the prime minister had knowledge, versus 15% who said he had not; and on the Right, the number was evenly split at 37% who believed he was aware of the links, and 37% who believed he was not aware.
Known as “Qatargate,” the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police are currently investigating the ties between Qatar and at least two recent members of Netanyahu’s media team, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, as well as a previous Likud campaigner, Srulik Einhorn.
The three are also suspects in another case, in which they allegedly leaked a top-secret document to a German newspaper in September in order to divert criticism away from Netanyahu following the murder of six Israeli hostages by Hamas.
Urich and Feldstein were detained on March 31 and later placed under house arrest. Einhorn is wanted for questioning. Netanyahu was questioned as a witness but has not been named as a suspect.
Birgir's links with Footlik
Businessman Gil Birger, admitted in a recording published by KAN News last month that in 2024, he had funneled payments to Feldstein from Jay Footlik, an American working as a lobbyist on behalf of Qatar, while Feldstein was working as the prime minister’s spokesperson on military affairs.
As part of his role, Feldstein facilitated interviews for Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, following a trip he made to Qatar for interviews. Footlik accompanied Klein on the visit.