Israeli journalist Chaim Levinson was dismissed from Haaretz due to allegations that he received at least 200,000 NIS from the Qatargate and leaked document affair suspect Yisrael "Srulik" Einhorn’s company, Haaretz reported on Thursday.
Between 2019 and 2024, Srulik Einhorn’s company Perception transferred the money to a company that Levinson owned, the Israeli daily paper reported.
Levinson, a host on Channel 12 news and former Haaretz political correspondent, denied any connection to Qatar, but confirmed that he worked with Perception, and added that he was unaware that Einhorn was working for Qatar.
He further alleged that the money transferred to him was payment for campaigns he had ghostwritten for Einhorn in eastern Europe.
Haaretz’s Editor-in-Chief Aluf Benn terminated Levinson’s position at the newspaper.
Levinson also admitted that he and Einhorn had been friends for many years.
Einhorn's role in Qatargate, leaked document affair
Einhorn is suspected of fraudulently receiving funds from Qatar as part of a public relations campaign to improve the state's image.
He also reportedly acted as a liaison between the Prime Minister's Office and Bild, a German tabloid that published classified documents reportedly leaked from within Israel's security establishment. Einhorn is further suspected of harassing Shlomo Filber, a state witness in Case 4000.
He was deposed in Serbia in July by both Israeli and Serbian investigators, according to Channel 13.
In September, Einhorn addressed the allegations against him for the first time, claiming that his work had been entirely legal.
"Hamas is a Nazi terrorist organization. Israel must eliminate it. Hamas leaders are in Doha because Israel and the United States asked Qatar to gather them there, to enable a monitoring and communication channel," he added. "The alternative would have been Beirut or Tehran."
"We worked together with Jay Footlik and Eli Feldstein to present the reality to the public, even if it's uncomfortable to hear. Footlik approached us in an attempt to help with the release of hostages, endorsed with a legal opinion from attorney Gilad Sher," he continued.
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.