Israeli Political Commentator Condemns WhatsApp Leak, Defends Journalist-Source Ties

Political commentator Amit Segal of Channel 12 News has strongly condemned the leak of WhatsApp communications belonging to Yonatan Urikh, a close advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a security breach. The published messages included conversations between Urikh and Segal, sparking debate online about the relationships between journalists and political figures.

Speaking on a Channel 12 panel, Segal described the hacking and dissemination of phone contents as "terrible and criminal." He stated, "I personally admit that if someone hacked my phone and published my correspondences, I would chase down everyone who uploaded it to Twitter. That's what I would do." Segal asserted he held the same view regarding previous phone breaches involving figures like Naftali Bennett.

Shortly after Segal's remarks, Urikh issued a statement through his lawyers, Amit Hadad and Noa Milstein, warning against further publication of the messages. "Whoever hacked Yonatan Urikh's WhatsApp and published personal correspondences, adding and altering conversations, will pay the full price," the statement read. The lawyers also cautioned that "the same will happen to anyone who publishes, distributes, or shares messages. Doing so constitutes a criminal offense and a personal lawsuit will be filed against them." The lawyers claimed some published conversations were altered or had details added, a claim that could not be independently verified.

Segal previously defended the exchange of information and opinions between journalists and their sources as a fundamental part of journalistic work. "Journalists don't get information because of their beautiful turquoise eyes, certainly not me," he said, explaining the "delicate tango" between source and reporter. He revealed that political figures he covered have shared speech drafts and campaign strategies with him for his opinion.

Segal expressed hope that no more phones would be hacked during the election campaign, suggesting similar correspondences exist across the political spectrum. "From the Arab parties to the Haredi parties, from the Izankots to Gantz, anyone who is hacked will find similar, if not more far-reaching, correspondences," Segal stated.

Urikh later escalated his warnings on X (formerly Twitter), announcing his intention to file ten lawsuits in the first phase and urging those who tweeted to be available. He later updated that some users had already deleted their posts, giving others a deadline of 10 PM.