Heated Clash Between Netanyahu Aides Over Classified Document Leak

A fierce confrontation occurred between Yonatan Urich, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson for the Prime Minister, during an investigation into the leak of classified documents to the German newspaper Bild. Feldstein accused Urich of seeing the secret document, knowing its origin, and approving its transfer for publication. Urich vehemently denied these claims, leading to a heated exchange with shouting and personal accusations.

Feldstein detailed that he received the document from Ari Rosenfeld at the Kirya (IDF headquarters), then traveled to the Knesset, where he met Urich. According to Feldstein, Urich held the document and was aware it came from an IDF intelligence source. Feldstein further claimed that Urich explicitly authorized him to pass the document to "the Hassid," identified as Shrolik Einhorn, who would then relay it to Paul, a Bild journalist. Feldstein asserted that Urich knew Paul and had previously arranged interviews for him with Netanyahu and Ron Dermer.

When presented with Feldstein's account, Urich stated that the first time he saw the document was in the interrogation room and that he was unaware of its source. This direct contradiction escalated the argument, with Feldstein demanding Urich look him in the eye and call him a liar, while Urich blamed Feldstein's statements for his own arrest and the resulting personal hardship, including not seeing his daughter for a week.

The confrontation, which lasted only eight minutes but was described as intense, required special approval from the Attorney General and State Prosecutor to take place, as Feldstein was already indicted in November 2024 for harming state security related to the document leak. The investigation had previously attempted to obtain testimony from Prime Minister Netanyahu but was unsuccessful. At the end of the heated exchange, an investigator told Urich, "He is not lying."