Watan-Amid growing attention to the public relations firm scandal involving Qatari funding, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shifted from defense to offense, once again attacking his political opponents and the so-called “deep state” institutions. He presents himself as a victim of persecution aimed at toppling a democratically elected right-wing Zionist leader.
In his latest attack, Netanyahu posted on X last night listing the scandals that have been attributed to him since he first came to power in 1996. He claimed they were later proven to be “empty and false,” and are now closed cases. However, as usual, he distorts the truth—some of these cases are still open, such as the one involving his approval of Germany’s sale of submarines to Egypt during the presidency of the late Mohamed Morsi, while others have resulted in indictments against him.
Qatari PR Scandal Deepens Around Netanyahu’s Advisors
The scandal surrounding the PR firm escalated to a new peak yesterday when an Israeli court lifted a gag order on the case. It revealed strong suspicions that several of Netanyahu’s advisors were also working under Doha’s direction through an American PR company owned by J. Footlik. In this context, Israeli police announced their intention to contact Interpol to arrest another advisor who fled to Serbia and refuses to return to be questioned regarding his role in the American firm case. Observers and local experts believe the next two days will be decisive for this case.
After the court extended the detention of three of Netanyahu’s advisors for three more days, suspicions presented in court indicated they had fed Israeli journalists messages highlighting positive portrayals of Doha and its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.
According to leaked information and emerging details, Netanyahu’s advisors may have committed serious offenses. They are suspected of misleading Israeli journalists by providing information under the label of a “political source”—a term in Israeli media that typically refers to the Prime Minister or his direct representatives. This means they gave Israeli media information that appeared to come from an Israeli source, but in fact originated from the PR firm, which received it from Qatar.
A Serious Breach
Several Israeli commentators say Qatar initiated this serious breach into the Prime Minister’s Office on October 8, 2023, following harsh Israeli and global Jewish campaigns accusing it of supporting Hamas and granting it protection and immunity. According to these allegations, the advisors also worked to highlight Qatar’s role in negotiations over Egypt’s, and reportedly shared sensitive information from Netanyahu’s security cabinet meetings with the Qatari side—something considered extremely dangerous from the Israeli perspective, especially given the advisors were financially compensated through the American firm.
Netanyahu: I Didn’t Know
When questioned about the case, Netanyahu claimed he had no knowledge of what had been reported. The opposition mocked him, saying, in effect: “If you knew your advisors were being paid by Qatar in exchange for coverage and leaks, that’s a disaster. If you didn’t know, that’s an even bigger disaster because it means you’ve lost control of your own office,” as stated by opposition leader Yair Lapid and others in media statements.
Even if the case ends without indictments against Netanyahu or his advisors, it will still have a damaging effect on public perception—even if it concludes legally. It’s already confirmed that his advisors worked under the direction of the PR firm, which alone harms Netanyahu’s image, especially as it overlaps with other intertwined controversies, like the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at the height of the PR firm investigation, and the withdrawal of his designated successor Eli Sharvit—for reasons that appear to be personal rather than professional. Netanyahu is increasingly seen as seeking top officials who show personal loyalty to him—loyal to the king, not the kingdom. This is the essence of criticism from a former Knesset member and journalist who wrote today that “in a democracy, someone under investigation has no right to dismiss their investigator.”
Netanyahu is Unfit
A prominent political analyst argued today that Netanyahu is unfit to govern, pointing to recent developments (the PR firm case and the withdrawal of Ronen Bar’s successor) as evidence of the dangers of Netanyahu’s attempt to dismiss Bar. The real issue, he says, is not who replaces Bar, but who gets to make that decision—and Netanyahu is not qualified to do so, as his judgment is not based on objective criteria.
This view is echoed by a well-known political commentator who has long claimed that Netanyahu is unfit to lead. Referring to the recent debacle over Sharvit’s appointment, he concluded: “Netanyahu is not fit to be Prime Minister—he’s not even fit to run a vegetable stand.” Netanyahu had announced Sharvit as his pick after interviewing seven candidates, only to reverse the decision within hours, damaging Sharvit’s reputation despite his distinguished service as Navy commander.
Meanwhile, pro-Netanyahu media outlets, especially a right-leaning Israeli channel, continue to claim that he is the target of a political witch-hunt designed to bring him down.
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