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Israeli police arrested two senior aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, as suspects in what has become known as the "Qatargate" scandal. The attorney general ordered police to summon Netanyahu to testify as part of the ongoing investigation, according to the Brussels-based Euronews website on Tuesday.
Netanyahu left the Tel Aviv District Court that morning, interrupting his ongoing corruption trial to testify about allegations of illicit financial ties between several of his senior aides and Qatar.
The Kan public broadcaster quoted a source in the Israeli police's Lahav 433 major crimes unit as saying that police offered Netanyahu the option of appearing to give public testimony that day or at a later date. He chose to appear immediately, halting his court hearing. In a brief statement to the press, police confirmed the arrest of Urich and Feldstein on suspicion of involvement in the case. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Hadad, left the courtroom on Monday morning to assist his detained clients, Urich and Feldstein, who also represent him.
The investigation began after it was revealed that Feldstein, Netanyahu's former spokesman and accused in another case of harming national security by leaking classified Israeli military documents, worked for Qatar through an international company contracted by Doha to provide Israeli journalists with favorable reports while he was in the Prime Minister's Office.
Opposition figures accused the prime minister of seeking to undermine the investigation into the Qatar case, while the head of the Shin Bet himself said the government decided to dismiss him to thwart the agency's work in the case.
Netanyahu has criticized the investigations targeting his aides, calling them a "witch hunt," while his aides have denied any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.