Netanyahu Aide Destroyed Phone After Feldstein Arrest, Report Says

New testimony from former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, aired Wednesday on Israel’s Channel 12, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed personally about the arrest of Eli Feldstein within hours of the overnight detention in October 2024. Bar said he woke Netanyahu by phone, using the prime minister’s security phone, and later saw him again that day at a state memorial ceremony for the victims of the October 7 attack at Mount Herzl, where Netanyahu asked questions Bar could not fully answer.

The timeline described in the report places the arrest at 4:45 a.m., followed by Bar’s call to Netanyahu and then the later meeting at the memorial event. More than 24 hours after Feldstein was arrested, another Netanyahu aide, Yisrael Hayom? no, Jonathan Urich, allegedly destroyed the data on his mobile phone. Urich is facing indictment.

In questioning, Urich claimed he routinely changes phones every four to six months for security reasons and said he had been warned by security officials that countries such as Iran, Russia and China might monitor his communications because of his sensitive role as a prime ministerial adviser. He insisted, “I did not obstruct an investigation because I have nothing to hide,” and said he learned of Feldstein’s arrest only from the media, adding that no one in Likud or the prime minister’s office knew about it for several days.

Investigators countered with records showing Urich had used the previous device since June 13, 2022, more than two years, contrary to his claim. They said the phone’s final erasure took place at 9:50 p.m. exactly one day after Feldstein’s arrest. Police and prosecutors believe Netanyahu’s office may have known about the leak probe before the arrest, and recent approval of an indictment against Tzachi Braverman over a related meeting has strengthened suspicion that Urich deleted evidence and messages tied to the case. Police also said Urich repeatedly tried to reach Feldstein by phone on the day of the arrest, even after the device was already in investigators’ hands.