An investigation by Haaretz has found that one of its former political analysts received payments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be traced back to the Qatari government, marking the second time in recent months that a writer for the newspaper has been linked to the so-called “Qatargate” scandal.

According to a new report, Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul in New York City and longtime Haaretz columnist, received payments between January 2024 and March 2025 from businessman Gil Birger, who has been questioned by police over his alleged role in the affair.

Investigators suspect Birger acted as a conduit for funds originating with Qatar lobbyist Jay Footlik, who is accused of passing Qatari money to aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in exchange for promoting pro-Qatar messaging to Israeli journalists. The alleged influence campaign took place while Qatar was serving as a mediator in hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas following the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Haaretz reported that Pinkas received similar payments to those allegedly funneled to Netanyahu aides, but ended his dealings with Footlik after media reports exposed the latter’s financial ties to the prime minister’s associates.

During the period in which he was receiving payments, Pinkas published several columns that echoed themes identified by Israeli public broadcaster Kan as central to the alleged Qatari influence effort. These included claims that Egypt bore responsibility for enabling Hamas prior to October 7, and that Qatar was indispensable as a mediator in hostage-ceasefire talks.

Pinkas denied that he was paid to write pro-Qatari commentary, saying all opinions expressed in his columns were his own. He told Haaretz that he provided professional services to a company owned by Footlik, including policy papers and analysis unrelated to Qatar, and that his financial reporting complied with the law. He also said he had never visited Qatar or met with Qatari officials.

Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn said that after initial denials, Pinkas later acknowledged receiving monthly payments via a company owned by Birger. Following a meeting with senior editors in April 2025, Pinkas informed the paper that he would leave his position. Haaretz added disclosure notices to columns written during the relevant period but did not issue a public announcement regarding his departure.

The revelation follows an earlier Qatargate-related controversy at Haaretz. In October, prominent journalist Chaim Levinson was dismissed after it emerged he had received at least NIS 200,000 ($61,000) from consultant Yisrael “Srulik” Einhorn, another Netanyahu aide suspected of illicit ties to Qatar.

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