Israeli PM testified in Qatargate probe

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified for about two hours on Monday before investigators at his office in Jerusalem, reported Xinhua, quoting Israel's Channel 12 News.

The open testimony is part of an investigation known as "Qatargate," which examines alleged business ties between associates of Netanyahu and the Qatari government.

According to Channel 12, the prime minister was questioned as someone with knowledge of the affair, rather than as a suspect. The open testimony followed a directive of Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli police arrested two suspects in the case --Yonatan Urich, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, the prime minister's former military affairs spokesman.

The probe focuses on suspected improper business dealings between the two close associates of Netanyahu and Qatar, a Gulf state that does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel but has played a key role in mediating ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip and negotiating hostage releases.

According to Channel 12, Feldstein and Urich are suspected of contact with a foreign agent, bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering in the case.

In his video statement after the testimony, Netanyahu said the probe is "a political hunt designed to prevent the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet and also to bring about the overthrow of a right-wing prime minister."