Netanyahu's Ex-Spokesperson Admits Lingering Affection for Aide Amidst Controversy

Eli Feldstein, former spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, revealed in a podcast interview that he still holds affection for former colleague and Netanyahu aide, Yonatan Orich. Feldstein described their past relationship as a "very deep emotional friendship" and stated, "When people ask me about him, I say I still love him. I have immense anger, immense disappointment, but I love him. I know the Yonatan behind the keyboard."

Feldstein expressed his deep disappointment, questioning Orich's actions given his sensitive and talented nature, stating, "He is a family man, sensitive, talented, and that's why my anger is so immense. I ask myself, why, why?! Because this could have been prevented."

The comments come in the wake of a significant public fallout between Feldstein and Orich following Orich's arrest in the "Qatargate" affair by Lahav 433 investigators. A heated confrontation ensued between the two, involving shouting and mutual accusations.

The core of their dispute centers on a contradiction discovered by investigators between Feldstein's and Orich's accounts regarding a secret document. The key question is whether Orich was aware of the classified document that reached Feldstein and authorized its transfer for publication in the German newspaper "Bild," a document that had been banned from publication by censorship.