From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Yair Golan says PM’s inner circle is a ‘crime family that has taken over Israel’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Democrats chairman Yair Golan accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle of operating like a crime family, following the detainment of the premier’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman by police today over allegations that he attempted to obstruct a probe into the leak of classified intelligence to Bild, a German tabloid.
“If it looks like a crime family, acts like a crime family, and protects each other like a crime family, don’t get confused: this is a crime family that has taken over Israel,” says the left-wing party leader in a post on X.
Police from the Lahav 433 major crimes unit searched Braverman’s home this morning and have taken him in for questioning at their Lod headquarters on suspicion of obstructing justice, following claims by Netanyahu’s indicted former spokesman Eli Feldstein that Braverman knew of, and sought to quash, a covert investigation into the leak.
Feldstein and other Netanyahu associates are also suspects in the Qatargate scandal, in which they are accused of working as paid lobbyists for Qatar while employed in the Prime Minister’s Office despite the Gulf state’s strong ties to Hamas.
The Times of Israel Community.