Netanyahu Aides Under House Arrest Amid Qatargate Probe

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides, Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, are under investigation in a scandal dubbed 'Qatargate,' where they are accused of receiving funds from a U.S.-based public relations firm to promote Qatari interests in Israel. An Israeli court recently placed the aides under house arrest for two weeks, rejecting police requests for prolonged detention due to insufficient evidence of direct harm to national security. The judge criticized the police's handling of the case, particularly their late introduction of security threats that were not initially part of the investigation. Both aides have denied wrongdoing, and Qatar has denied any involvement in the alleged activities. Netanyahu has dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attack on his government. Meanwhile, Feldstein is also implicated in a separate case concerning the leak of classified documents related to Hamas negotiations.