Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Israeli police of attempting a “political witch hunt” to “topple” his government. In a video statement released on Monday, Netanyahu asserted that the police lacked evidence against the two aides who were detained.

Netanyahu was called on Monday to provide testimony as part of a continuing investigation into purported financial links between his office and Qatar. The prime minister stated he was interrogated for an hour before he requested to see evidence, which he claimed did not exist.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Israeli Government Press Office via AP)

The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday that its editor-in-chief, Zivka Klein, was interrogated by police associated with the Qatar investigation. Klein has previously refuted any ties with Feldstein after an Israeli news outlet alleged that the former Netanyahu aide organized a trip to Qatar for the journalist.

Netanyahu says the probe, often referred to as “Qatargate,” is intended to stop him from firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who heads the Israeli equivalent of the FBI.

Last month, Netanyahu announced that he would seek to oust Bar over alleged “ongoing distrust.” However, some suspect that it is related to the Shin Bet’s assessment of Oct. 7, which “pointed to a policy led by the government, and the person who has headed it, for years, with emphasis on the year preceding the massacre,” the Times of Israel reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar (Reuters)

Bar slammed Netanyahu’s “expectation of a duty of personal loyalty, the purpose of which contradicts the public interest, is a fundamentally illegitimate expectation,” according to the Times of Israel. 

Israel’s High Court froze Bar’s removal, which was set for April 8, but allowed Netanyahu to interview potential replacements. Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had tapped a former Israeli Navy commander, Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit, to replace Bar.

“Sharvit served in the IDF for 36 years, including five years as commander of the Israel Navy. In that position, he led the force building of the maritime defense of the territorial waters and conducted complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,” Netanyahu’s office tweeted.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.