Qatar paid an estimated $10 million to senior Israeli security veterans, former Mossad officials and associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to figures cited by law enforcement authorities in the “Qatargate” investigation.
The findings, reported by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, are based on money-tracking by police and the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority. The payments allegedly spanned two and a half years, beginning in 2022 and continuing until October 2024, in exchange for various services.
At the center of the probe is “Lighthouse,” a multimillion-dollar influence campaign launched in late 2021, ahead of the Qatar World Cup. Its stated goal was to reshape Qatar’s global image—particularly within Jewish communities—by portraying it as a peace-seeking state rather than a supporter of terror. The campaign included the use of avatars and virtual influencers on social media.
According to investigators, Qatar funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars each month into the project, transferring funds through a British company and then into an Israeli firm run by ex-security officials. Among those questioned was retired IDF Maj. Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai, a former senior defense and Mossad figure.
Payments also went to employees of Coyos, a tech provider, and to “Perception,” a PR firm owned by Netanyahu adviser Israel Einhorn. Another Netanyahu aide, Jonatan Urich, worked under the firm. Investigators say Perception received $45,000 a month for Lighthouse for roughly two years.
Urich took in about 40% of that—roughly $18,000 a month, equivalent to 59,000 to 72,000 shekels, depending on the dollar exchange rate—even during the Gaza war, until the project was frozen in late 2024.
A second, smaller campaign under scrutiny involved lobbyist Jay Footlik, who promoted Qatar’s image in Israel. That initiative, with a much smaller budget, included hiring a government-relations consultant and spokesperson. According to investigators, Eli Feldstein was paid about 40,000 shekels a month while serving as Netanyahu’s spokesman.
Feldstein has claimed he was directed by Urich and Einhorn and that the payments were meant as temporary compensation for his work at the Prime Minister’s Office. Urich has denied that version, insisting Lighthouse was the only project he was involved in.