Eli Feldstein, accused in the "Qatar Gate" scandal, claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew about the classified document and that he was the one who stood behind its leak to the German newspaper Bild.
"He was the one who ultimately stood behind the leak to the newspaper," Feldstein stated in an interview with Kan 11.
Feldstein argued that the official claim that the Prime Minister was first exposed to the document through the media "is a lie." He claimed that it would not have been possible to release such a sensitive document without the involvement of the highest political echelons. "In order to release such a document, the Prime Minister must be in the picture - from beginning to end."
Feldstein also emphasized the involvement of communications advisor Yonatan Urich. "Urich knows everything I knew - where the document came from, what its source was, why it wasn't going to be published in Israel - he knows everything."
Feldstein does not deny that the decision to turn to Bild was meant to bypass censorship in Israel. He stated that it was a "well-known practice," not an unusual or personal initiative of his.
"What I did served my boss. How do I know? 'The boss is happy,' you know that WhatsApp message? Urich tried to reach him by phone on Friday, right after the publication. I wasn’t available. I was on the phone with the source. When he realized I wasn’t answering, he wrote to me 'Take your time, the boss is happy,'" Feldstein shared.
He expanded on the conversation after receiving the message from Urich: "We talked about the publication, its impact, and the next steps. Including feedback he was receiving from the Prime Minister about the publication. I understand I fulfilled the task I was given. After that, there was a conference call with the Prime Minister."
Later in the interview, Feldstein addressed the Qatar Gate scandal in depth, and presented his version of the events, claiming he was "operated without his knowledge."
Feldstein denied knowing that Urich and Srulik Einhorn were allegedly also working for Qatar, stating: "If there was any business connection between the Prime Minister's office and Qatar, it was something that wasn’t discussed publicly, neither with me nor with other officials."