Naftali Bennett issued a statement this evening (Tuesday) in which he addressed the revelations in recent days in the 'Catargate' affair - and attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bennett opened: "These days, the people of Israel have been exposed to a very serious security affair - from within the holy of holies of Israel Security, the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu's closest advisors acted for the enemy state of Qatar, in exchange for money from Qatar, and all of this - during a war against Hamas, Qatar's sponsor organization.".
He added: "The materials present a detailed and horrifying picture - how these advisors work diligently to advance Qatari interests, while taking advantage of their special status as representatives of the Prime Minister. And after each such action, they deliver a report message of the results of their action to their Qatari operators.".
""I will be clear: Qatar is Hamas. While our heroic fighters are fighting and falling in battles against Hamas in the alleys of Khan Yunis, those advisors are working for pay for Qatar, the one that finances those Hamas terrorists. This betrayal is a knife in the heart of our heroic soldiers, and a knife in the heart of the entire Israeli people. This is the most serious betrayal in the history of the State of Israel, because it does not come from junior people like the spies Udi Adib or Mordechai We'anunu, but from the most senior and powerful people in Israel. We must honestly admit that implanting active agents in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office is a significant intelligence-security success of our enemies, Qatar.".
He wondered why the prime minister was not acting on the affair. "I am not claiming, at this point, that Netanyahu gave the order to act on behalf of Qatar, or even that he knew that his close advisors were receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels from the enemy. But I am definitely asking a simple question: Why is Netanyahu silent? Why does he continue to cover up the betrayal in his office until this moment? After all, from the moment he discovered the affair, he should have been the first to cry out and act!
""I was prime minister. I know exactly the gravity of the responsibility and the sacredness of Israel's security. In such a situation, I would - and each of you would - immediately and shamefully dismiss the advisors who failed, I would urgently summon the head of the Shin Bet and the police commissioner, and I would demand that they open a thorough security investigation, in order to expose the entire network of agents, and to make sure that my office and all my people are completely clean. But Mr. Netanyahu is acting exactly the opposite: from the moment the affair was exposed, he and his people are doing everything they can to torpedo the investigation of the truth, as we also saw in last night's publication.".
Bennett called on the Shin Bet and the police to investigate the affair. "In a situation where a heavy cloud of suspicion hangs overhead, I appeal to the Shin Bet and the Israel Police: Your national duty is to exhaust the investigation to the end. The entire people of Israel expect this, and give you full support. This is a testing moment for our existence as a nation. I trust the security and law enforcement systems to act quickly and not abandon the security of the state.".
Likud rejected the claims outright - and disavowed the suspicious advisor.
The party's statement in response said: "Srulik Einhorn and Eli Feldstein were never part of the Prime Minister's Office. In all the materials that were revealed, there is not the slightest hint of involvement by the Prime Minister's Office or anyone on its behalf, quite the opposite. Since the beginning of the war, the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister have attacked Qatar, and Qatar has attacked the Prime Minister countless times. The Prime Minister has even been severely criticized by the Israeli media and senior figures in the defense establishment for attacking Qatar, claiming that it jeopardizes the hostage deal.".
The Likud also attacked Bennett himself and accused him of betrayal: "It would be better if Bennett chose to use the word 'treason' and looked at himself. Bennett betrayed his voters when he formed a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Bennett himself defined as a sister movement of Hamas.".
""Bennett will betray again, just as his partners - Yair Golan and Gadi Eisenkot - said. He will try again to establish an extreme left-wing government that relies on the Muslim Brotherhood.".
The Likud accused: "Bennett brought thousands of Gazan workers into Israel who prepared the ground for 07.10. The refuge of the arch-swindler Bennett is the invention of blood libels. Even though Bennett knows that the court has already ruled that Targetgate is a 'catarpike' and that there is no offense, he is recycling lies to divert the discussion from the serious materials that were exposed in the hacking of his phone and are hidden from public view.".
And how did Jonathan Urich respond?
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