Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman have confirmed that Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein was questioned under caution in connection with the Qatargate scandal—meaning he was treated as a suspect. They stated that Klein was initially summoned to provide open testimony, but during the process, authorities identified statements that allegedly linked him to efforts to promote Qatar’s image in Israel in exchange for “benefits.”
Klein is the only journalist to have been questioned under caution in the Qatargate case so far. According to Baharav-Miara and Aisman, his testimony raised substantial suspicion that he was involved, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides, in a scheme to receive benefits from Qatar in return for promoting its interests. As a result, police investigators shifted his status from a witness to a suspect, specifically questioning him about receiving payments from Doha.
Despite this, the law enforcement officials emphasized their commitment to press freedom, stating that questioning journalists is conducted with “great caution” to uphold these principles. They added that two other senior Israeli journalists were called to give open testimony in the case but were not considered suspects.
The Qatargate scandal revolves around allegations that close aides to Prime Minister Netanyahu worked for a lobbying firm contracted by Qatar. The firm allegedly sought to improve Qatar’s image in Israel by influencing media narratives, particularly regarding its role as a mediator in hostage negotiations with Hamas.
Baharav-Miara and Aisman reiterated that investigating the case required obtaining journalist testimonies due to the nature of the allegations. However, they stressed that law enforcement agencies have not altered their general policy of minimizing the involvement of journalists in legal proceedings whenever possible.
(Source)