JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Sunday they detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspected of obstructing an investigation, with local media reporting that it was tied to leaks of military information during the Gaza war.&nbsp;Police did not name the individual, but Israeli media reported it was Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu&#39;s current chief of staff, who is designated to be Israel&#39;s next ambassador to the UK.&nbsp;&quot;This morning, a senior official in the prime minister&#39;s office was detained for questioning... on suspicion of obstructing an investigation,&quot; the police said.&nbsp;&quot;The suspect... is currently being questioned under caution.&quot;&nbsp;Former Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein recently alleged that Braverman tried to obstruct an investigation into a leak of sensitive military information to the foreign press during the war against Hamas in Gaza.&nbsp;In September 2024, Feldstein leaked a classified document from the Israeli military to the German tabloid Bild, for which he was later arrested and indicted.&nbsp;The document aimed to prove that Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire deal, and to support Netanyahu&#39;s claim that the hostages captured by Palestinian militants in their October 7, 2023 assault on Israel could only be released through military pressure instead of negotiations.&nbsp;In an interview with Israel&#39;s public broadcaster KAN, Feldstein said Braverman asked to meet with him soon after the leak.&nbsp;Braverman informed him that the army had launched a probe into the affair, and said he could &quot;shut down&quot; the investigation, according to Feldstein.&nbsp;In the same interview, Feldstein said Netanyahu was aware of the leak and was in favour of using the document to drum up public support for the war.&nbsp;Israeli media reported that police also searched Braverman&#39;s home on Sunday, and that Feldstein was expected to speak with police later in the day regarding Braverman&#39;s suspected involvement in the affair.&nbsp;Feldstein is also a suspect in the so-called &quot;Qatargate&quot; scandal, in which he and other close associates of Netanyahu are suspected of having been recruited by Qatar to promote the Gulf monarchy&#39;s image in Israel.&nbsp;Qatar hosts senior Hamas leaders and has played a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement during the war in Gaza.&nbsp;An investigation is under way, and Feldstein, together with another Netanyahu aide, was taken into custody in late March.&nbsp;In response to Braverman&#39;s questioning by the police on Sunday, opposition leader Yair Lapid called to suspend his appointment as ambassador to the UK.&nbsp;&quot;In light of the new developments in the Qatargate affair, the appointment of Tzachi Braverman as ambassador to Britain must be immediately suspended,&quot; Lapid wrote on X.&nbsp;&quot;It is unacceptable that someone suspected of involvement in obstructing a serious security investigation should be the face of Israel in one of the most important countries in Europe.&quot;&nbsp;Braverman is not suspected of direct involvement in the Qatargate affair, according to Israeli media.

Middle East

Israeli police detained Netanyahu aide Tzachi Braverman over alleged obstruction linked to Gaza war leaks. Opposition demands suspending his UK ambassador appointment as investigations continue.

Israeli police detain aide to Netanyahu

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed that the corruption cases against him were &ldquo;tearing the country apart,&rdquo; hours after he submitted a formal request for a pardon in the years-long proceedings.&nbsp;&ldquo;The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, intensifying rifts,&rdquo; Netanyahu said in a video statement, insisting that &ldquo;an immediate end to the trial will greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.&rdquo;&nbsp;Netanyahu&rsquo;s critics, however, say the embattled premier is attempting to shield himself from accountability after years of corruption allegations, including fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, rather than seeking national unity.&nbsp;The pardon request also lands at a moment of mounting international scrutiny.&nbsp;The United Nations has noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.&nbsp;&nbsp;The political reverberations have even reached the United States.&nbsp;During an interview with ABC News, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani stated that he would order Netanyahu&rsquo;s arrest if the Israeli leader attends the UN General Assembly in the city next year, citing the ICC warrants.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamdani was unequivocal: &ldquo;New York enforces international law, and that means international law must be respected, including the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, regardless of whether they target Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, or anyone else.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It does not matter if they are against Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We are required to show our values.&rdquo;&nbsp;Netanyahu&rsquo;s effort to secure a pardon, while still in office and without a conviction, has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad, with opponents arguing that the attempt undermines Israel&rsquo;s judiciary and deepens the political rifts the prime minister claims to lament

Netanyahu seeks a pardon to halt corruption trial, while critics accuse him of avoiding accountability. ICC warrants add pressure, and NYC’s Zohran Mamdani says Netanyahu would face arrest if he visits the UN General Assembly.

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Israeli police detain aide to Netanyahu

Netanyahu seeks pardon as critics decry bid to evade accountability