It was cleared for publication on Wednesday morning that Gil Birger, an Israeli businessman who works in the Gulf, was questioned by the police under caution on Monday for suspected involvement in the Qatargate affair. About ten days ago, Kan News published recordings in which Birger is heard saying that he transferred funds from Jay Footlik, an American lobbyist working for the Qatari government, to Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson in the Prime Minister’s Office. Birger said that Footlik asked him to make the transfer “because of tax issues,” adding that he has known Footlik for 25 years. Birger said that Footlik was the one who employed Feldstein for a few months, and that the work Footlik did was “for the hostages.” On Tuesday, the Rishon L’Tzion Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein by two days, instead of nine days as requested by the police. Judge Menachem Mizrahi revealed the full suspicion against them – that the suspects conveyed messages to journalists on behalf of Qatar that were presented as if they were coming from political sources in Israel. Feldstein and Urich are suspected of acting to promote a positive image of Qatar within the framework of the hostage deal while minimizing Egypt’s role as a mediator. They are facing criminal charges of alleged contact with a foreign agent, bribery, breach of trust, and tax offenses. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)