# Israel's Qatargate scandal > How Netanyahu's aides allegedly ran an influence campaign for Qatar while working in the Prime Minister's office. - Title: Israel's Qatargate scandal · The New Yorker | Shortify - Summary: How Netanyahu's aides allegedly ran an influence campaign for Qatar while working in the Prime Minister's office. Netanyahu's closest advisers allegedly took… - Keywords: israel, qatar, benjamin netanyahu, qatargate, yisrael einhorn, jonatan urich, eli feldstein, jay footlik, perception, hamas, gaza, influence campaign - Source: The New Yorker — https://newyorker.com/magazine/2026/09/28/israels-qatargate-scandal - Author: Ruth Margalit - Published: 2026-09-19T10:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: israel, qatar, benjamin netanyahu, qatargate, yisrael einhorn, jonatan urich, eli feldstein, jay footlik, perception, hamas, gaza, influence campaign ## Qatar hired Netanyahu's consultants Yisrael Einhorn's firm Perception worked for Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, creating fake news sites to make Qatar seem Jewish-friendly. Qatar kept paying $45,000 monthly after the games ended. ## A London meeting changed everything In December 2023, lobbyist Jay Footlik met Einhorn at the Ritz to discuss a new goal: making Qatar look like a peacemaker after October 7th, when Israelis saw it as Hamas's patron. ## Qatar bankrolled Hamas for years Since 2018, Qatar transferred up to $30 million monthly to Gaza. Hamas diverted significant sums to build tunnels, surveillance systems, and weapons that enabled the October 7th attacks. > The Qatari grant is the main artery of the Hamas movement ## The campaign to flip public opinion Footlik and Einhorn allegedly worked with two Netanyahu aides on a scheme paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. They planted stories claiming Hamas leaders were in Qatar at U.S. insistence. ## Eli Feldstein joined the operation Feldstein was a thirtysomething military spokesperson for Netanyahu who became what Einhorn called a "master communicator." He started in the PM's office just four days after October 7th. > I was thrilled to work there. I really wanted to prove myself ## Jonatan Urich ran the show Urich was Netanyahu's closest strategic adviser and "first phone call in the morning and last phone call before bed." He secretly received 40% of Perception's Qatar payments through a third party. > I would let him perform open-heart surgery on me ## Feldstein went on Qatar's payroll After failing a security clearance for drug use, Feldstein couldn't get promoted. Urich offered him extra salary through an intermediary connected to Footlik, effectively putting him on Qatar's payroll. ## Planting stories with fake sources The campaign began in April 2024. Feldstein placed stories quoting invented "senior Israeli officials" and "senior U.S. officials" saying only Qatar could broker a deal and Egypt couldn't be trusted. > Eli you are killing it. Really good ## Qatar's strategic ambitions Qatar founded Al Jazeera in 1996, giving it enormous regional influence. The network aired Islamist voices hostile to Israel while Qatar maintained secret business ties with Israeli officials. ## Buying influence everywhere Qatar's diplomacy involves "lulling empowerment", investing in weapons, companies, and institutions until other states become "addicted to the money." It hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East but also backs Islamist factions. > The way we punch above our weight is by being uniquely situated to talk to everyone ## Netanyahu's advisers worked for foreign clients Perception was so entrenched in Netanyahu's office that it dispatched his advisers to assist right-wing campaigns in Georgia, Romania, Kosovo, and Serbia while they still worked for the PM. ## Fabricating briefings to attack Egypt In May 2024, Einhorn told Feldstein to brief journalists that "Egypt can no longer be trusted," attributing it to "senior U.S. officials." Channel 12 ran the story nearly word for word. > We've managed to really piss them off ## Netanyahu's long history with Qatar Netanyahu privately kept Hamas strong to prevent Palestinian unity and avoid peace talks. In 2018, he asked Qatar to commit to monthly payments to Gaza despite defense officials' objections. > Netanyahu's policy was very clearly that Hamas was an asset and the P.A. was a liability ## The leaked Hamas document After six hostages were executed in August 2024, Feldstein leaked a classified Hamas document to German tabloid Bild to undercut protests. The article misled readers about Hamas's willingness to compromise. > The boss is happy ## Qatar became indispensable Trump placed Qatar at the center of ceasefire talks. Despite frustration from Israeli negotiators who called Qatar "Hamas's representative," Doha established itself as an essential player in regional politics. > Fast-forward three years, Qatar now has a foothold in the Mediterranean ## The scandal breaks open Reporter Bar Peleg discovered a 2022 Google Doc linking Urich and Einhorn to Qatar's World Cup campaign. In February 2025, police launched a criminal investigation into contact with foreign agents and bribery. ## Allegations of direct payments to Netanyahu French outlet Blast published documents suggesting Qatar paid Netanyahu $15 million in 2012 and $50 million in 2018. Former Mossad officials say the claims warrant investigation; Netanyahu denies them and is suing. > I claim that the Prime Minister received money from Qatar ## Forged documents muddy the waters A scammer sold fake documents to researcher Yigal Carmon, then bragged they were forged. The incident helped discredit earlier allegations, with some arguing the scene was deliberately "flooded" with fakes. > The whole concept of espionage is deception ## Netanyahu blocks the investigation When Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sought to expand the Qatargate probe, Netanyahu moved to fire him. Bar resigned, saying he was pushed out because of the investigation into national security threats. > The most serious act of treason in the country's history ## Key takeaway Netanyahu's closest advisers allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Qatar to plant fake stories and transform the emirate's reputation in Israel, potentially compromising national security.