https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwygkknzn9yo
In recent days, a number of events have taken place in Israel that are directly related to the scandal regarding the alleged involvement of the prime minister's advisers in lobbying for Qatar and what has been known as Qatargate. In particular, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned in this case on Monday evening. Netanyahu is currently listed as a witness in the investigation, but the police have arrested two of his top aides, Jonathan Urich and Eli Feldstein, who are the main suspects. Feldstein faces charges of damaging Israel's national security. Benjamin Netanyahu's entourage denies all the accusations, but the unprecedented steps the government is taking to try to stop the investigation are only fueling the suspicions of the prime minister's opponents. On March 21, it became known that Netanyahu fired Shin Bet counterintelligence chief Ronen Bar, and did so despite a ban from the Supreme Court. Firing the head of a deeply secret intelligence service in a country like Israel is a very serious step. The Supreme Court ordered the Bar decision to be suspended, but Netanyahu recently named a new head of counterintelligence.
The next high-profile attempt to get rid of those involved in the investigation was the launch of the process of removing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from office. The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved a vote of no confidence in the attorney general on March 23, two days after the Shin Bet chief was fired. It was Baharav-Miara who instructed Shin Bet and the police to conduct the Qatargate investigation at the end of February this year.
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