Netanyahu Aide’s Phone Wipe Raises Questions After Feldstein Arrest

A new report based on testimony by former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed personally about the arrest of Eli Feldstein within hours of it happening in October 2024. Bar testified that he woke Netanyahu by phone, using the prime minister’s security phone, and later met him again that day at a state memorial ceremony for the victims of October 7 at Mount Herzl, where Netanyahu asked questions Bar could not answer.

The report says the arrest shook Netanyahu’s office. More than 24 hours later, after Feldstein was taken from his home at 4:45 a.m., Netanyahu aide Jonathan Urich, who faces an expected indictment, destroyed data on his mobile phone at 9:50 p.m. the following day. Police and prosecutors suspect the deletion was meant to erase evidence and messages tied to the affair.

During questioning, Urich said he routinely replaces his phone every four to six months for security reasons, claiming he had been warned that foreign states such as Iran, Russia, and China could be monitoring his communications because of his sensitive work for the prime minister and other world leaders. He also told investigators, “I did not obstruct an investigation because I have nothing to hide,” and said he only learned of Feldstein’s arrest later from the media.

Investigators disputed that version, showing him records indicating he had used the same previous device since June 13, 2022, for more than two years. They also said he stayed in daily contact with Feldstein and sent him countless messages, making it unlikely he was unaware of the arrest. Police and the State Attorney’s Office now believe people in Netanyahu’s office may have known about the leak investigation before the arrest, and the recent decision to indict Tzachi Braverman after a related meeting has further strengthened suspicions in the case.