Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson and close aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has made a series of allegations against the PM and his closest advisers, leading to a fresh controversy in Israeli politics. In a lengthy interview broadcast on Tuesday by the public broadcaster Kan, Feldstein accused Netanyahu of prioritising his own political survival after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, sanctioning the leaking of classified intelligence to shape public opinion, and presiding over a murky foreign influence affair that has become known as “Qatargate”.
According to Feldstein, Netanyahu’s immediate focus in the aftermath of the attacks was not the fate of the hostages or the scale of the national trauma, but how to avoid personal and political responsibility. Feldstein claimed that the very first task he was given was to help devise a communications strategy aimed at blunting demands for accountability. He described Netanyahu as visibly “panicked”, repeatedly asking aides whether the media was still discussing responsibility for the failures surrounding the attack.
Feldstein alleged that Netanyahu’s inner circle asked him to avoid using the word “responsibility” in official statements, in an effort to dampen what was described as a media storm. The prime minister appeared emotionally detached from the human cost of the crisis. For instance, when an aide attempted to show him a video of Mia Schem, one of the captives, Netanyahu allegedly pushed the phone away, saying he did not want to see it. Feldstein suggested that, in Netanyahu’s mind, winning the war and remaining in office took precedence over securing the release of the hostages.
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At the same time, Feldstein himself is facing trial over allegations that he leaked classified military intelligence to the German tabloid Bild. Prosecutors allege that the leak was intended to influence Israeli public opinion following the execution of six Israeli hostages in Rafah in August 2024. That incident triggered widespread anger towards the government for failing to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal. According to the indictment, the leak was designed to support Netanyahu’s argument that continued military pressure, rather than negotiations, was the only viable path.
In his interview, Feldstein directly contradicted Netanyahu’s insistence that he had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the leak. Feldstein claimed that he clearly told Netanyahu that he and the PM’s adviser, Jonathan Urich, were in the process of obtaining a classified Hamas document via a source in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate. The purpose, he said, was to reinforce Netanyahu’s preferred narrative.
After Bild published what Feldstein described as a distorted version of the document, suggesting that Hamas was not interested in a deal, Netanyahu reportedly cited the article in public statements. Feldstein claimed this was done to deflect criticism and bolster the government’s stance against negotiating a ceasefire.
The interview also levelled serious accusations against Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, suggesting possible obstruction of justice. Feldstein alleged that Braverman became aware of a secret IDF investigation into the leaks before it was made public. He claimed that the two met covertly in the underground car park of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where Braverman allegedly showed him a list of suspects and offered to intervene. According to Feldstein, Braverman offered to shut down the investigation.
Beyond the intelligence leaks, Feldstein and Urich are both implicated in what Israeli media has dubbed “Qatargate”. They are accused of accepting payments linked to Qatar while employed in the Prime Minister’s Office, allegedly to improve Doha’s image as a mediator in the Gaza conflict. Feldstein claimed that this involved drafting and circulating favourable messages about Qatar to journalists, presenting them as though they came from senior Israeli or American officials. The affair has sparked fierce backlash, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid describing the alleged conduct as “treasonous” and calling for Netanyahu to resign.
The prime minister’s office has strongly denied Feldstein’s claims. In a statement, it dismissed the interview as a “long series of mendacious and recycled allegations” made by a man seeking to save himself from severe criminal penalties. The PMO insists that Netanyahu never authorised any leak of classified material and that Braverman neither had the authority nor the ability to interfere in IDF investigations.
