OCTOBER 16, 2026 09:33

Updated: OCTOBER 16, 2026 10:27

Ex-premier and B'Yachad leader Naftali Bennett delivered a pointed rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after fresh details surfaced in the Qatargate probe, where Netanyahu confidant Yonatan Urich confirmed wartime contacts with Ali al-Dawadi, a figure linked to Qatar's emir.

During an appearance on Miki Levin's Maariv podcast, Bennett examined the claims involving the premier's top aide and faulted Netanyahu for standing by him. He branded the episode the gravest act of disloyalty in Israel's past.

Pressed on Urich's reported encounters with Qatari representatives and Netanyahu's ongoing endorsement, Bennett asked what the prime minister understood about his aide and why the backing persisted.

Bennett recalled the drama All My Sons, in which a manufacturer sold faulty components for profit, leading to his son's fatal crash. The tale stayed with him. He wondered how anyone could claim patriotism while undermining the military and the nation.

Born in Haifa to Zionist parents, Bennett spoke of his deep attachment to the country, its citizens, and its vistas. He described pride in Independence Day events, the air force, local innovations, and global honors, yet voiced deep confusion over how a top adviser could accept funds from Hamas backers while soldiers' families suffered atrocities.

He pressed the point repeatedly, citing a total collapse of ethical judgment.

Bennett calls the episode Israel's worst treason

Levin suggested the former leader was framing the matter in emotional terms rather than legal ones, but Bennett stood firm.

He insisted the conduct exceeded ordinary disloyalty and ranked as the most severe case in the state's record, noting it involved a senior figure rather than a junior officer.

Bennett sketched a scenario to illustrate his standard: an adviser secretly advancing Italian interests would be dismissed at once, since only national priorities should guide such a role.

Here the paymaster was Qatar, an adversary funding Hamas fighters, and the meetings occurred amid active conflict. Bennett shifted focus from Urich to Netanyahu, demanding clarity on the premier's Qatar links, the refusal to remove the aide, and the absence of an enemy designation for the Gulf state.

Bennett questions Netanyahu's motives

When asked why the prime minister retained Urich, Bennett said he had never before suspected Netanyahu of trading security for personal gain, citing the submarine case as an example he still found hard to credit.

Yet the current embrace of the adviser forced a reassessment, Bennett said, leaving him to wonder what explained the protection.

With a son serving in a commando unit, Bennett voiced alarm and admitted he had lost all confidence in Netanyahu's handling of security, unsure whose interests the prime minister truly served.

Bennett closed by urging Netanyahu to resign and allow others to lead.