Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett on Monday called on Benjamin Netanyahu to step down, accusing his office of treason over alleged Qatari funding links.
Bennett, seen as a strong contender in next year’s elections, said members of Netanyahu’s inner circle worked on behalf of a foreign power while Israel was at war.
The claims relate to the so-called “Qatargate” affair, in which aides are suspected of helping promote Qatar’s image inside Israel.
Qatar hosts senior Hamas leaders and has played an indirect mediating role between Israel and Hamas during the Gaza war.
Israeli authorities are investigating the allegations, and two advisers to Netanyahu were detained in late March.
Bennett said the prime minister’s office had betrayed the state and Israeli soldiers, calling the case the most serious act of treason in Israel’s history.
He argued that whether Netanyahu was aware of the alleged activities or not, both possibilities required his immediate resignation.
The accusations followed an i24news report detailing alleged conversations involving Netanyahu’s advisers now under investigation.
Israeli media have reported that the aides are also suspected of transferring confidential information to Qatari contacts during the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu has previously defended the advisers, saying in April 2025 that Qatar was not an enemy of Israel.
Bennett said three close advisers had acted as paid agents for Qatar while Israeli soldiers were fighting and dying in Gaza.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed Bennett’s remarks, also describing the affair as the most serious treason case in the country’s history.
