Political turmoil in Israel: Key Netanyahu aide questioned, London mission cancelled

Tzachi Braverman, chief of staff at Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Benjamin Netanyahu’s nominee for ambassador to the UK, was detained for questioning by the Lahav 433 National Crime Unit on January 11, police said, amid reports linking the inquiry to the leaked documents (Bild) affair.

In September 2024, a secret Israeli military intelligence document leaked to the German tabloid Bild, outlining Hamas’s stance on hostage negotiations, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

According to the document, the Palestinian group was not interested in a ceasefire or a hostage release deal. As part of the leak investigation, former PMO spokesperson Eli Feldstein was arrested. In December, he claimed that Tzachi Braverman met with him secretly to slow down the investigation into the Bild leak. Braverman has denied the allegation.

On the evening of January 11, after questioning, Braverman was released from custody, but he was barred from leaving Israel for a month and prohibited from visiting the Prime Minister’s Office for 15 days.

Tzachi Braverman is one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s key aides and was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the UK four months ago. He was scheduled to fly to London in the coming days, but the trip has now been cancelled, and the Prime Minister has begun searching for a new ambassadorial candidate.

The Likud party, led by Netanyahu and represented by Braverman, said his detention and questioning are nothing more than a “campaign of persecution” and an attempt to pressure the Prime Minister and his supporters.

By Jeyhun Aghazada