Netanyahu sues Ya’alon over accusation that PM received funds from Qatar

Netanyahu: “Let me be clear: I received nothing from Qatar, but I will be receiving something from Bogie (Ya’alon), and this is just the beginning.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he is suing former defense minister and IDF chief Moshe Ya’alon over accusations that the premier accepted money from Qatar.

In a video, Netanyahu stated, “I will not be deterred from making the right decisions for our nation’s security—not by fake campaigns or fabricated scandals dominating the news.”

He added, “The public is uninterested because they know it’s all false, and the number of cases filed is much lower than the number being opened.”

He continued, “I’ve decided to stop staying silent. Today, I am suing ‘Bogie’ Ya’alon for the vile lie he spread, claiming I received money from Qatar. Let me be clear: I received nothing from Qatar, but I will be receiving something from Bogie, and this is just the beginning.”

“Nothing will stop me, not even this campaign of extortion and threats against me and my family,” he concluded.

Netanyahu was responding to a Kan radio interview in which Ya’alon claimed that “unverified intelligence details” from Emirati intelligence files suggest that the prime minister received $15 million in 2012 and $50 million in 2018 from Qatar.

Responding to Netanyahu’s announcement of the lawsuit, Ya’alon said that the prime minister “is feeling the pressure” from the investigation into alleged ties between Qatar and members of his office.

“The attempt to dismiss the head of Shin Bet and the attorney general is a result of this pressure,” he added, alleging that Netanyahu is trying to hold onto power rather than resolving the conflict in Gaza.

“The messianic, evasive, and corrupt government must be replaced as soon as possible to save the country,” Ya’alon stated.