Israeli police have issued an arrest warrant for Israel Einhorn, a former campaign adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over his alleged role in two major scandals shaking the prime minister’s inner circle.
Einhorn, who currently resides in Serbia, was formally listed by police as a suspect in the so-called “Bild affair” — a case involving the leak of classified Israeli military intelligence to German tabloid Bild in September 2024. Court documents seen by investigators show his name alongside a note stating that a “pending arrest warrant” has been issued against him. A police spokesman confirmed the warrant to AFP.
The leaked intelligence document was reportedly used to bolster Netanyahu’s argument that Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire and that Israeli hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack could only be freed through sustained military pressure, not negotiations. Two other aides to Netanyahu have already been arrested and indicted over the leak.
Einhorn has not returned to Israel since the investigation began, though Israeli authorities questioned him in Serbia last year.
Beyond the intelligence leak, Einhorn is also a suspect in the widening “Qatargate” scandal, which centres on allegations that close associates of Netanyahu were secretly recruited by Qatar to promote the Gulf state’s interests inside Israel. Qatar hosts senior Hamas leaders and has acted as a mediator in the Gaza war. It also sent millions of dollars into Gaza monthly between 2018 and October 2023 to fund Hamas civil servants and provide cash to struggling families.
The arrest warrant comes amid a broader crackdown on Netanyahu’s aides. On Sunday, police detained a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office on suspicion of obstructing the investigation. Israeli media identified the aide as Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman.
Another former aide, Eli Feldstein, who is already on trial over both the Bild leak and Qatargate, said in a recent televised interview that Braverman offered to “shut down” an army probe into the intelligence leak. Feldstein also claimed Netanyahu knew about the leak and supported using the document to rally public backing for the war.
Reports on Monday said Braverman — who had been nominated as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom — was barred from leaving the country for 30 days and prohibited from contacting the Prime Minister’s Office for 15 days. Police and Braverman’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation.
The unfolding investigations have placed unprecedented legal and political pressure on Netanyahu’s inner circle, deepening a crisis already fuelled by Israel’s prolonged war in Gaza and rising scrutiny of how classified information and foreign influence may have been used to shape public opinion.
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