Emails Reveal Israeli Official Knew of Pro-Qatar Messaging Campaign
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Communications revealed by i24NEWS suggest Israeli official Yonatan Urich was aware of and pleased with a pro-Qatar messaging campaign, contradicting his claims. Eli Feldstein, a colleague, updated Urich before a news report aired about the campaign, which promoted a narrative about Qatar hosting Haniyeh's funeral. Urich responded enthusiastically to the report. The financier of the campaign, Gil Birger, also sought to "leverage" the story after it aired. The news outlet verified the story with Qatari officials, unaware it originated from the same source.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Communications indicate Yonatan Urich knew about and approved of a pro-Qatar messaging campaign.
- Eli Feldstein updated Urich in advance about the campaign and shared the news report after it aired.
- Urich responded enthusiastically to the report, contradicting his claims of ignorance.
- The campaign's financier, Gil Birger, sought to "leverage" the news story after its broadcast.
- The news report's verification involved Qatari officials, but potentially from the same source.
- The revelations raise questions about Urich's account of his knowledge of the campaign.
New communications revealed by reporter Avishai Grinzeig on i24NEWS raise questions about Yonatan Urich's claim that he was unaware of a pro-Qatar messaging campaign.
Eli Feldstein, who previously worked with Urich in the Prime Minister's Office, updated Urich in advance about a pro-Qatar message he was promoting with Israel Einhorn. Feldstein sent Urich the news report after it aired on Kan 11, eliciting an enthusiastic response from Urich. This contradicts Urich's assertion that he was unaware of Einhorn's activities and Feldstein's parallel involvement in promoting these messages.
The exchanges document Feldstein's communication with Urich regarding one of the publications before it was broadcast. The messages concern a narrative promoted by Einhorn and Feldstein on August 1, 2024, following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. They claimed the U.S. government asked Qatar to host Haniyeh's funeral, and Qatar agreed. Feldstein messaged Urich, "The yeshiva student (Einhorn) and I are doing something problematic today, just so you know." Urich then called Feldstein for details.
After the Kan 11 report aired, Feldstein sent Urich the article, to which Urich responded with a sticker conveying "Health, love, happiness, and joy." Grinzeig presented these exchanges as evidence that Urich was aware of and pleased with the publication, contrary to his statements.
Separately, communications also revealed Gil Birger, described as the financier of the pro-Qatar messaging project, asked Feldstein to "leverage" the publication. Birger, upon seeing the headline "First publication: The Biden administration asked Qatar for Haniyeh's funeral to be held in Qatar and not Iran. Qatar agreed," told Feldstein, "We need to leverage." Feldstein replied, "This is my work, brother, it didn't come from nowhere. We made this move, we built it all day."
Grinzeig also reported that Kan 11 journalists verified the story not only through Feldstein but also by contacting Qatari officials, who confirmed the U.S. request. However, Grinzeig noted that Kan 11 was unaware that the information from Feldstein and the Qatari confirmation stemmed from the same source, creating a situation where the information received indirect validation without truly independent verification.
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