PM's Advisor Yonatan Urich Faces Backlash Over Leaked WhatsApp Messages

WhatsApp conversations attributed to Yonatan Urich, an advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, were leaked online, sparking widespread public reaction and online mockery. The leaked messages, posted on a pirated website and shared across social media, led to numerous jokes and memes. One widely circulated meme featured a fabricated message from the Ramla restaurant Khalil stating, "Enough, I'm not opening a branch in Qatar." Urich responded to the leak by threatening legal action and began sharing a list of users on X (formerly Twitter) who he claimed had published parts of the conversations, vowing to sue them.

Among those targeted by Urich's threats was user Matan Alcalay, whom Urich stated was "going to buy me an outdoor kitchen." The controversy also drew commentary from journalist Amit Segal, who addressed the situation for the first time. Segal reportedly informed user Tomer Persico that he intended to sue him, to which Urich responded that Segal should "get in line" as he was also suing Persico.

User Adi Messika highlighted what she perceived as a double standard, sharing a screenshot of a tweet Urich himself posted earlier that week about a Flydubai flight, in which he stated, "Anyone who publishes messages from my WhatsApp will receive a lawsuit." She pointed out that Urich was now threatening lawsuits for similar leaks while having previously published private conversations himself.

Despite the widespread mockery, some users expressed support for Urich, with one writing, "Leftists are deleting tweets about Urich's conversations for fear of lawsuits." Another user posted a meme depicting money flying, suggesting Urich would sue "all the scumbags."