What’s happened: A preliminary vote was held early this morning on a bill to dissolve the Knesset which opposition parties had introduced earlier in the week. It was defeated 61-53 when, at the last minute, ultra-Orthodox parties that had threatened to support it mostly backed down and voted with the Government. Two ultra-orthodox MKs voted in favour of the motion, including one minister who is expected to resign. The governing coalition of right-wing parties, religious nationalists, and the ultra-orthodox remains deeply divided on the issue of draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

• The fight over draft exemptions continues to roil the governing coalition. A Supreme Court ruling last year invalidated the blanket exemptions that had been in place for decades, leading the IDF to begin issuing call-up orders for ultra-Orthodox men.
• In response the coalition has sought to pass laws that would ease or even cancel most of the legal sanctions that might be employed against ultra-Orthodox men who disobey the call-up, including childcare and housing subsidies. But Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, who chairs the powerful Foreign and Defence Affairs Committee in the Knesset, has blocked most of these initiatives, predicating the coalition crisis. Last night, just before the vote, Edelstein leaders of two ultra-Orthodox parties reached a minimal set of “understandings” on softening some of the legal sanctions.
• The threat of ultra-Orthodox parties to bring the government down could extract significant concessions from Prime Minister Netanyahu and his coalition partners, most of whom represent communities who serve in the armed forces and greatly resent the longstanding exemptions. 
• At the same time, the ultra-Orthodox parties have a great deal to lose by going to early elections. While polls project that they will hold a similar number of seats in a new election to what they have now, the rest of the right-wing bloc is expected to go down to defeat, and the ultra-Orthodox will almost certainly find themselves in opposition, facing a much stiffer draft law.
• The failed bill to dissolve Parliament means it will not be possible to table the motion again for at least six months (except through a cumbersome procedure involving collecting signatures of the majority of MKs). Writing in Ynet, Moran Azoulay speculates that opposition leader Yair Lapid still stands to gain from the defeat in the motion to dissolve the house as it will for six months remove the ultra-Orthodox parties major bargaining advantage in extracting concessions on the draft law, and thus weaken their ability to entrench in law the de facto exemptions they presently enjoy.
• Following the vote, Lapid attacked the coalition. “Once again,” he said, speaking in the Knesset, “you’ve spat in the faces of our troops. Once again, you’ve spat in the face of the IDF. You, who call yourselves the fully right-wing government, have sold out our troops. You’ve sold out the IDF, you’ve sold out the fundamental principle of shared service.”

What’s happened: Head of Shin Bet Security Service Ronen Bar announced that he would step down on June 15^th. 

• Speaking at a memorial service for fallen fighters from the service on Monday night Bar said, “After years on multiple fronts, the sky fell on one night on the southern front. The entire system collapsed. The GSS also failed to provide a warning. As the person who stands at the head of the organisation, I took responsibility, and now, on this special evening that symbolises remembrance, heroism and sacrifice, I have chosen to announce that I will follow through on my decision to end my tenure as director of the General Security Service.”
• Bar added, “My love for the homeland and my loyalty to the country are the basis over every decision I have made in my professional life. That remains true tonight.”
• “To the families of the murdered and the fallen, it is important for you to know that the Shin Bet did not make light of the threat. Despite attempts to manufacture a different reality, the Shin Bet was never complacent; to the contrary: there was understanding of the Hamas threat, alongside constant initiative and a drive to engage. Nevertheless, we failed…. must bow our heads in humility before the murdered, the dead, the wounded, the kidnapped and the families, and act accordingly. Everyone.”
• Bar once more called for a state commission of inquiry to be formed. “The truth and the corrections that must be made can be done only within the framework of a state commission of inquiry. You deserve the truth. The fallen deserve it. Taking responsibility in practice is an inseparable part of setting a personal example and the legacy of our leaders, and we have no legitimacy to lead without it.”
• Bar also stressed the importance to Israel’s security and democracy that the Shin Bet be allowed to operate independently. He said he hoped that after having presented the High Court of Justice with all the evidence, the court would hand down a ruling that ensures that the Shin Bet is able to continue to function independently.

Context: Bar’s resignation comes more than a year and a half after the greatest failure in the history of the Shin Bet under his leadership. 

• Just like other senior military commanders within the army who have all since resigned, Bar wanted to leave on his own terms, having acknowledged his organisations failure in a full internal inquiry over a month ago. 
• With his retirement, Bar will end 35 years of service. The end of his tenure has been marked by controversy after he was fired last month by a unanimous cabinet vote but he chose to remain in office pending the High Court of Justice ruling on the matter. 
• It is hoped that his resignation ends the bitter legal dispute between himself and Prime Minister Netanyahu.         
• In response to Bar’s submission to the court, on Sunday Netanyahu submitted his own affidavit, in which he accused Bar of lying in his own submission and attempting to avoid responsibility for the failures which lead to the 7^th October attacks.
• In the affidavit, Netanyahu referred to “Bar’s blindness” as the “greatest intelligence failure in the history of the State of Israel.”
• He also rejected claims made by Bar that he had attempted to direct Shin Bet to collect intelligence on anti-government protest leaders. 
• Netanyahu also referenced numerous failed assassination attempts (against himself) which he suggested caused him to seek to give testimony in his ongoing criminal court cases from a “safe place” rather than avoid doing so altogether.
• In response, Bar continued to allege that the Prime Minister attempted to pressure him into acting unlawfully, while criticising his failure to take responsibility for authorising Qatari cash to enter Gaza in the years prior to October 7^th. Bar added, “Senior security officials have taken responsibility for the intelligence failure [on October 7^th]. But the prime minister never took responsibility for the quiet policy of funding Hamas, which was dictated directly by the Prime Minister”.
• With Bar’s impending departure, it draws into sharper focus the political leadership that stand alone, without having investigated itself, or agreed to form an independent commission of inquiry, and not yet called for an early election. 
• All this in the shadow of the remaining 59 hostages, 24 of whom are thought to be still alive and are being held in horrific conditions, now for 571 days. Despite reports of a breakthrough in talks, Army Radio quoted an Israel political official saying, “the reports in the foreign media are inaccurate. Israel has been working continuously and incessantly with the Americans and the mediators with the goal of advancing a deal to release our hostages but, for the time being, no agreement has been reached.”    
• Bar’s resignation at this time is being viewed as positive move for Israel’s security, as extreme tension between the government and its primary intelligence agency has hampered the ability to hold substantive discussions on security issues. 

Looking ahead: His decision to step down may render the High Court of Justice ruling moot, but efforts might still be made to reach a compromise on an agreed-upon date for his resignation earlier than the one he announced.

• Now, the central question is who will replace him, and whether they will find a consensus candidate who meets the approval of the prime minister and the security establishment, as was the case with the appointment of Eyal Zamir as IDF chief of staff.
• It remains unclear if Bar will have a role in choosing his successor, and whether despite their bitter disagreements he and the prime minister can cooperate for the last few weeks of his tenure.
• Memorial Day ceremonies will begin this afternoon at 4:00 pm Israel time. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana will attend a ceremony in Jerusalem. At 8:00 pm, the state ceremony will be held at the Western Wall, with President Herzog, Defence Minister Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Zamir in attendance.

What’s happened: Ronen Bar, the director of the Shin Bet, has filed two sworn affidavits with the Israeli Supreme Court that contain a number of dramatic accusations against the Prime Minister. 

• The two documents include an eight-page affidavit that has been made public, as well as a 31-page document including classified documents. The latter document has not been shared with the public, but has been shared with the Prime Minister.
• Among the claims in the affidavit:
  • The supposed “loss of trust” that was the Prime Minister’s reason for demanding Bar’s dismissal did not exist during the period before the outbreak of war or even for the entire first year of the war, but suddenly emerged as soon as Bar ordered the investigation of ties between leading figures in the Prime Minister’s Bureau and Qatar.
  • The Prime Minister, or those close to him, asked Bar to sign a statement that the Prime Minister could not testify in his trial for security reasons; he refused.
  • The Prime Minister requested that the Shin Bet conduct surveillance of leaders of the movement protesting the Government’s judicial reforms in 2023 pursuant to the Shin Bet’s legal authority to monitor “subversion.” Bar argued that the protest movement did not meet the legal standard for subversion and refused.
  • The Prime Minister sought assurances from Bar that in the event of a constitutional crisis, the Shin Bet would obey the Government and not a ruling from the Supreme Court. 
• Also in the affidavit, Bar dissects what he holds to be false accusations against him regarding warnings given to the Prime Minister before the October 7 massacre, specifically relating to accusations regarding his actions during the night before the attack.
• He also notes that he has been among the many voices inside the security establishment demanding a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7, but the Prime Minister and his associates have blocked this at every turn.
• Netanyahu called the affidavit “a false statement” and his office disputed in particular the timeline of events Bar claimed regarding the night before the October 7 invasion. 
• Elsewhere, associates of the Prime Minister sought to clarify his concerns about the security threats he might face in testifying, rejecting the suggestion of Bar’s affidavit that Netanyahu was seeking to use the Shin Bet to attain a blanket exemption from appearing at his own trial.

Context: Concurrently, the security cabinet met last night to discuss the operation in Gaza and the hostage negotiations. For now, no decision has been made on expanding the operation while negotiations are still ongoing.

• There are some in the cabinet calling for a broader, more comprehensive military operation, whilst the Prime Minister and Defence Minister currently prefer to maintain the current deployment, and give the diplomatic track some more time.  
• The cabinet also discussed the issue of Humanitarian Aid, with IDF Chief of Staff Zamir, maintaining his predecessor’s approach that it would not be the IDF’s role to distribute aid.  Whilst the professional echelon continues to closely monitor supplies, no decision was made to renew the flow of aid into Gaza. 
• With Bar in attendance, tensions between ministers and the Shin Bet Director whom the ministers unanimously voted to fire spilled out in the open repeatedly during the meeting, especially in comments by Finance Minister Smotrich. Smotrich also apparently left the room whenever it was Bar’s turn to speak.
• The Court has given Netanyahu the option of submitting a counter-affidavit by this Thursday. It is not yet clear if the Prime Minister will avail himself of this opportunity, which he could use to refute Bar’s charges but which could prove legally and politically problematic for him. If there are two affidavits with conflicting claims, the Court will have to hold a hearing and make public and binding determinations about the truth of each of the claims.  
• The Court had originally asked Bar for his affidavit by Sunday. Bar requested an extension and was granted until noon Monday. According to various media reports, there were various efforts made by associates of the Prime Minister to reach a compromise with Bar about his departure that would have involved Bar ultimately not filing an affidavit at all.
• The basic thrust of these compromise efforts, according to reports, was that Bar would have some say in the appointment of his successor. As Bar himself was planning on taking responsibility for the Shin Bet’s failures on October 7 and resigning, this compromise was seen as answering his principal publicly stated concern: not saving his own job, but rather ensuring that his successor was a professional and not someone who would just do the bidding of the Prime Minister.
• Until just before noon on Monday, it was still unclear whether a compromise had been reached or whether Bar would ultimately file his affidavit. The affidavit, and the grave accusations made against the Prime Minister in it, make it very unlikely that Bar will have a say in choosing the man or woman who will take over the Shin Bet when he does leave.
• An affidavit is effectively sworn testimony. If any of it is untrue, the person submitting it is liable to perjury charges, quite unlike the case with say a television interview or an anonymous leak.
• Netanyahu’s supporters have been eager to point out that a substantial portion of the blame for October 7 lies with Bar and therefore it is perfectly reasonable for the government to decide to end his tenure early.

Looking Ahead: Netanyahu has until tomorrow to submit his own affidavit to the Court, though it is possible that some compromise on a date for Bar’s departure will be reached beforehand. 

• The Court has barred the Government from appointing a new Shin Bet Director while it hears the case.
• Thus far, the Government has adhered to the Court’s interim ruling. If the Court ultimately rules against the Government, there will be tremendous pressure on the Government by some ministers to ignore it.

What’s happened: A midlevel Shin Bet agent has been held for eight days, the first four without access to a lawyer, on suspicion of stealing classified documents from the agency and sharing them with a politician and two reporters.

• According to prosecutors he took classified documents and shared them without authorisation.
• The leaker met with Amichai Chikli, Minister of Diapora Affairs, and shared with him stolen documents revealing a Shin Bet investigation into alleged far-right (Kahanist) infiltration in the Israel Police and Israel Prison Service. Details of the investigation were revealed by prominent Israeli journalist Amit Segal in March, leading the Shin Bet to investigate the leak.
• Notably, Segal’s report included a photo of an original document, indicating not just that someone spoke to a journalist about an internal matter without authorisation but rather that classified material was stolen from the premises.
• At the time, the Shin Bet responded to Segal’s report by saying “The Kach and Kahane Chai organisations were declared illegal in 1994 and have been classified as terror organisations since 2016. Their activities continued afterwards and the [Shin Bet] has worked to unearth them and to thwart them in keeping with its duties under the law. The more information that comes in, the [Shin Bet] also deals with suspicions that these elements have infiltrated state organisations, particularly law enforcement.”
• During yesterday’s court session at the Lod District Court, police representatives said, “This case is not about a leak; leak doesn’t accurately describe the allegations. This is a case in which a longtime Shin Bet employee has betrayed the trust put in him by the virtue of his position, removed classified documents and provided them to unauthorised individuals…He took the trust placed in him by the public, extracted secret materials from the Shin Bet computers and passed them on to various parties. By the acts attributed to him and which were bolstered by the investigation, the suspect has proved in fact that he lacks restraint.”
• Earlier this week, two Likud MKs, Gotliv and Boaron, ignored a court-imposed gag order on the case, with Gotliv accusing Shin Bet Director Bar of “settlings scores.”
• The Shin Bet investigation into potential Kahanist infiltration apparently only reached a very preliminary fact-finding stage, and has not led to any criminal charges. Another story that had its origin in allegedly stolen documents leaked by the same suspect was published in the free daily Israel Hayom and was widely interpreted as being critical of the Shin Bet’s Director in a manner consistent with the claims made against him by supporters of the prime minister.

Context: News of the investigation and arrest provoked heated reactions and added to the internal tensions surrounding the inquiries into October 7^th, the end of the ceasefire, and the negotiations for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

• The revelation provoked an angry reaction from the right, especially from those in the milieu of Itamar Ben-Gvir, who came to prominence in Israel in Kahanist circles, but who oversees both the Police and the Prison Service as a Minister in a democratically elected government. For the right, this story is viewed as a criminalisation of democratic politics and an abuse of the Shin Bet (many have taken to referring to it in Hebrew as the “secret police”) to stymie an elected government’s policies.
• The leaker has an active social media presence and is a consistent supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli right, often criticising the protest movement arrayed against the prime minister and the current government.
• It is widely assumed that the purpose of the leaks was to damage the reputation of Ronen Bar, the current Director of the Shin Bet and, in recent months, target of Netanyahu’s ire. In far-right media circles, the conspiracy theory that Bar knew about the impending Hamas massacre but deliberately did not wake the prime minister up on the morning of October 7^th — something that, according to the conspiracy theory’s adherents would have prevented it — has been increasingly gaining currency.
• This latest scandal compounds already fraught relations between the government and the Shin Bet. Earlier this week a  security cabinet meeting was cancelled after Finance Minister Smotrich refused to participate if the Shin Bet chief Bar was in attendance. 
• In a further example of a breakdown in relations, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Katz were in the Gaza Strip yesterday with military commanders, but in a break from the norm, there was no representative of the Shin Bet in attendance. 
• This affair joins other ongoing investigations involving the leaking of classified documents which also deepen the political fissure in Israel. In one case, associates of the prime minister are suspected of leaking intelligence to the German newspaper Bild in an attempt to influence Israeli public opinion on the hostage issue. In another, figures also in the Prime Minister’s orbit are suspected of receiving money to do PR work for Qatar.

Looking ahead: The suspect in the new leak affair is due court later today to hear if his remand will be extended.

• For now, the prime minister has chosen to respect the Supreme Court’s ruling that he not replace the director of the Shin Bet. 
• According to the court ruling last week, the government and Bar have until April 20th to reach a compromise over when his tenure will end.

What happened:  After 11 hours, the Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit brought yesterday’s hearing to an end by placing a temporary injunction against the immediate removal of the head of the Shin Bet and urging the sides to compromise.

• The court instructed that no moves be taken aimed at ending Ronen Bar’s tenure such as announcing a replacement or an acting director. However, the court stated there is no problem with the cabinet interviewing potential candidates for the job. 
• The court gave Bar and Prime Minister Netanyahu until after the Passover festival to submit affidavits in support of their factual arguments.
• In his closing remarks which discussed compromise, Justice Amit noted “sparks of willingness” from the cabinet secretary (representing the government) and the attorney general.  Amit said, “We are giving them until after Passover to reach a creative solution to the extent possible. We encourage as much dialogue as possible.”
• Justice Daphne Barak-Erez concurred, saying, “We are not obliging and not taking a position. We are allowing you to submit something jointly.”
• The third judge Justice Noam Sohlberg (considered a conservative) said, “You all know how to be creative and quick when need be, and how to bear the overriding interest in mind.”
• The start of the hearing was interrupted by some spectators – including a bereaved father whose son was killed fighting in Gaza – heckling the judges and arguing that they had no authority. The bereaved father was removed from the courtroom.
• The firebrand Likud MK Tally Gotliv was also removed for repeatedly interrupting the proceedings. Her outburst led the presiding judge to temporarily suspend the hearing and asked court security guards to remove all spectators “to allow all sides to make their arguments without fear.”
• Following the ruling, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying it was “puzzled” by the decision. Adding, “It is inconceivable that the cabinet should be barred from removing a failed Shin Bet director from office only because an investigation has been begun that does not pertain to even a single minister.”  
• The chances for compromise are considered slim. In one suggestion, Justice Barak-Erez suggested waiting to fire Bar until the investigations into the Qatargate and the leak of classified documents to the German Bild tabloid have been completed, adding that “Once those investigations have been completed, there will no longer be a conflict of interest,” she said. 
• Attorney Amir, representing the government, rejected this, “That is a dangerous message. Every Shin Bet director will know that if he wants to keep his job forever, all he has to do is open an investigation.” Justice Amit called that a conspiracy theory “that ascribes ulterior motives to the entire world.” 
• When faced with the judges’ ruling urging further dialogue, the lawyer representing the government compared the situation to divorce hearing, “forcing a husband and wife to stay together.” 

Context: The government’s attempts to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet represents the latest clash between the government that argues it is exercising its authority and the legal establishment that sees its role as defending the gatekeepers.

• Recognising the danger of a potential constitutional crisis – in which the government rejects a court order – the judges urged the sides to compromise.
• The government’s perspective is that they represent the elected leaders and are within their authority to dismiss a civil servant (even a senior figure) if they no longer have confidence in them. The firing of Bar comes after all the other senior security officials (including the IDF Chief of Staff, head of southern command, head of military intelligence and others) who were in charge on October 7th have all left office.             
• The Attorney General Baharav-Miara (herself facing a similar challenge – the government is looking to remove her) wrote to the court saying that, “The decision to terminate the tenure of the Shin Bet director is fundamentally flawed, tainted by a personal conflict of interest of the prime minister because of the criminal investigation into his associates.”
  • It was Bar who initiated the investigation into the Qatargate scandal with the prime minister’s inner team.
  • Having taken responsibility for the Shin Bet failure on October 7th, Bar has publicly called for a formal state commission of inquiry into the massacre, a move rejected by the government. The Shin Bet’s internal inquiry also flagged failures of the government’s policy in the years preceding the Hamas attack.
  • It was revealed earlier this week that Netanyahu allegedly requested that Bar intervene in the prime minister’s corruption trial and have it postponed due to security challenges facing the country, and the personal security threat he might face. As a result, the Shin Bet recommended holding the trial in an underground facility in the Tel Aviv courtroom.
• Bar, who did not attend the hearing yesterday also wrote a letter to the court that was appended to the attorney general’s letter. Bar wrote, “The implications of advancing proceedings to end my tenure, which are being done hastily during a sensitive period, while criminal investigations are underway regarding the prime minister’s associates, without a proper proceeding and an itemisation of the allegations, and without giving me a fair chance to respond to the allegations, effectively delivers a clear message to the entire chain-of-command in the General Security Service (Shin Bet) and to the future directors of the Shin Bet that if the political echelon comes to dislike them, their termination will be immediately on the table.”
• Bar also addressed the Qatargate investigation in his letter, writing: “It is my job to ensure that the clear public interest that stems from the severity of the allegations, which is to reach the truth in this sensitive, complex and important issue, is enacted.”
• In response the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement, “The lack of confidence in the Shin Bet director that was created for the prime minister and all the members of the cabinet – without exception – did not stem from a question of personal loyalty but, rather, stemmed from a lack of confidence in his performance after his decisive role in the October 7 debacle in which he chose not to inform the political echelon, and from a string of incidents that undermined the professional confidence in him afterwards.” 

Looking ahead: The temporary injunction prohibits the cabinet from taking any action that ends Bar’s service (that they had sought to end tomorrow), but allows the prime minister to interview candidates to succeed him.

• The cabinet and the attorney general are now due to inform the court by April 20th on an agreed date to end Bar’s tenure.  
• Netanyahu is thought to be considering the option, suggested by Justice Minister Levin, of immediately boycotting Bar.

What’s happened: An Israeli judge has lifted a longstanding gag order preventing reporting on the ongoing “Qatargate” scandal, citing a lack of enforcement resulting in its redundancy.

• It can now be reported that Qatar is alleged to have paid two associates of Prime Minister Netanyahu – Jonathan Urich and Eli Feldstein – to promote pro-Qatari stories in the Israeli media.
• Gulf-based Israeli businessman, Gil Birger, can now also be named as a suspect for allegedly funnelling Qatari cash to Feldstein via an American lobbyist (Jay Footlik).
• Birger was interviewed in connection with the case by the Israeli Police on Monday, and admitted to transferring funds to Footlik in a recording played by Kan News.
• Yesterday, police held a ‘confrontation’ between Urich and Feldstein, after they gave conflicting versions as to the circumstances of the payments Footlik made to Feldstein.
• Responding to all these developments, PM Netanyahu yesterday released a video in which he asserted that Qatar was not listed as an enemy state, and is a “complex country” which “many praise”. He also described Urich as a “dedicated employee”, stating that he never had any access to classified intelligence material.
• “Do you know who really praised Qatar?” Netanyahu asked rhetorically. “Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz, Ronen Bar.  The GSS director was invited by Qataris to a special seat at the World Cup. Qatar is a complicated country, but it is not an enemy country. They are doing this in order to topple a right-wing government.”
• The editor of the Jerusalem Post’s, Zvika Klein, has also been interviewed under caution in connection with the case, allegedly on suspicion of being in contact with a foreign agent, and has been placed under house arrest.
• Klein visited Qatar for three days in 2024 as a guest of the government, a trip which was subsequently reported on in the Jerusalem Post. Responding to the reports, Klein has asserted that his visit to Qatar was at the government’s direct invitation, his only contact with Feldstein had been on his return, and only in a PR capacity.
• This morning, several other journalists were asked to come to Lahav 433 headquarters to give statements to the police.
• The Israeli Police’s Lahav 433 unit which specialises in combating particularly serious crimes is also reported to have expressed concerns to the court over a conflict of interests. Urich’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, is also representing the Prime Minister in his own criminal cases.
• The Israeli Bar Association’s ethics committee has since written to Hadad requesting an explanation as to how representing the Prime Minister, Urich, and another suspect currently residing abroad (the Serbian-based Yisrael Einhorn) without causing a conflict of interests.
• The Israeli Police are also seeking to interview Einhorn, but as a witness rather than a suspect at this time. Einhorn is a former Netanyahu aide living and working in Serbia as an advisor to President Aleksandar Vučić. The police suspect that in the course of 2024, when Einhorn served as an adviser to Minister Yisrael Katz, he was allegedly privy to classified information and may have been involved in the leaking of the “Hamas document” that was leaked by the prime minister’s aides in the classified documents affair to the Bild. Einhorn also reportedly helped in the efforts to deliver munitions to Israel early in the war.
• According to Channel 12 News, Qatar has denied being aware that Feldstein worked with the Prime Minister’s Office, instead primarily viewing him as a right-wing and religious communications professional more able to reach a demographic Doha had thus far struggled to engage with.

Context: While Netanyahu not a suspect, his reaction has been to defend his associates while attacking those seeking to prosecute them as a political witch hunt.

• Based on the facts that are now known in the affair, Qatari funds were paid to Netanyahu’s closest advisers in exchange for a campaign that allegedly was designed to advance Qatar’s interests – often contrary to the State of Israel’s declared interests.
• Some of the pro-Qatari messages allegedly spread in the Israeli media were intended to position Doha as an effective ceasefire and hostage release negotiation mediator while undermining Egypt.
• In previous military operations between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Egypt was considered the main mediator to bring about a ceasefire. Ruled by General Sisi and heavily opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian government had traditionally been preferred by Israel.
• Sisi’s government also has sometimes tense relations with Qatar. In 2017, Egypt joined with other Gulf countries in suspending diplomatic ties with Qatar and introducing a blockade, moves that were reversed in 2021.
• There has been some concern in placing Klein under house arrest seemingly connected to his meetings in Qatar, which would generally come under the regular workings of a journalist.  The Union of Journalists issued a statement decrying Klein’s arrest, which it said might damage the confidentiality of sources and have a chilling effect on other journalists.

Looking ahead: On 8th April, the Israeli High Court will hold a hearing where it will decided whether or not Ronen Bar can be removed as Shin Bet’s Director.

• Netanyahu has stated that Bar’s tenure as agency Director should end by 10th April. After a U-turn within 24 hours in the appointment of Eli Sharvit, Netanyahu has now said he will appoint deputy head of the agency as the temporary head of the agency.
• Only known by one of his initials (S), he will act as Shin Bet Director until Bar’s replacement is found and takes up the post.
• The police asked the court to extend the remands of Jonathan Urich and Eli Feldstein by an additional seven days.