Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to depart Sunday for the US, leaving behind several political and security flashpoints at home. His apparent hope that these would fade into the background during a summit with President Donald Trump has been dashed. Even escalating threats of war on multiple fronts have failed to eclipse the most combustible issue of all: the Qatargate affair.
Of all the revelations in the case, particularly troubling is the damage inflicted by Netanyahu's advisers on relations with Egypt. A senior official said that already at the time, "more than one eyebrow was raised" in the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency over a string of false reports. These included claims that Egypt was building offensive bases in Sinai, echoed by Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter; allegations that senior figures in Egyptian intelligence were taking a cut from weapons smuggling into Sinai; and assertions that Egypt had been complicit in deceiving Israel ahead of the October 7 attack.
Egypt protested the smear campaign, raising the issue in meetings between security officials, but to no avail. Netanyahu maintains that he was unaware his advisers were working for Qatar, yet his policies aligned closely with their activity. It has since emerged that contacts conducted by the Shin Bet with Egypt in July 2024 produced a breakthrough that was supposed to lead to the release of four living hostages and jumpstart negotiations.
The deal had...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to depart Sunday for the US, leaving behind several political and security flashpoints at home. His apparent hope that these would fade into the background...
