Israel’s state prosecutors are waiting for a security assessment from the Mossad that could determine whether Netanyahu aides Jonathan Urich, Eli Feldstein and Srulik Einhorn should be indicted on security offenses in the “Qatargate” affair. Until now, the public discussion had focused on a Shin Bet opinion, but a report on Monday said the key assessment will actually come from the Mossad.
The Mossad director, Roman Gofman, once served as Netanyahu’s military secretary, raising a possible conflict of interest because of his closeness to the suspects. The Justice Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office are now examining whether that relationship prevents him from signing the opinion. The Mossad said only that this is an open investigation and that it cannot comment, adding that the matter is being reviewed by the organization’s legal adviser.
Last week, it was reported that Netanyahu and his close adviser Urich gave sharply conflicting accounts in the Qatargate and classified-documents leak cases involving the prime minister’s office spokespeople. The dispute goes to the central question in the case, who gave the instructions and whether Feldstein’s actions were carried out with the prime minister’s knowledge.
In his testimony, Netanyahu tried to distance himself from Feldstein, saying there was no ongoing work relationship between them. “He cannot say that he worked with me personally, that is simply not true,” Netanyahu said. When asked about Feldstein’s role, he added, “Do you know what a person who was nothing is?” Urich, by contrast, testified that spokespeople work directly with the prime minister and that every message requires his approval, a claim that could link Netanyahu to active involvement in approving content from the office.
About two weeks ago, prosecutors filed an indictment against Urich in the classified-documents leak case tied to “Bild.” They also amended the indictment against Feldstein and reservist Ari Rosenfeld over the theft of sensitive intelligence from IDF Military Intelligence systems and its publication in “Bild,” and added Urich to the updated indictment. Urich is charged with transferring secret information with intent to harm state security, transferring secret information, holding secret information, and destroying evidence.
