Israeli Journalist Slams PM's Advisor Over Qatar Ties
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Journalist Josh Breiner publicly condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisor, Yonatan Ourieh, for seeking to improve Qatar's image using ChatGPT during the ongoing war. Leaked interrogation transcripts revealed Ourieh's requests for strategies to "whitewash Qatar" to Israeli citizens and global audiences. The affair has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders, including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, who have called for Ourieh's dismissal and labeled the actions a severe betrayal. This controversy follows a prior leak of Ourieh's private communications due to a security breach.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Journalist Josh Breiner accused PM Netanyahu's advisor Yonatan Ourieh of working to benefit Qatar during the war.
- Leaked transcripts show Ourieh asked ChatGPT for plans to "whitewash Qatar" to Israeli and global audiences.
- Ourieh admitted using ChatGPT but denied acting for Qatar in Israel.
- Gadi Eisenkot called Ourieh a "Qatari agent" and demanded his immediate firing.
- Naftali Bennett described the affair as "the most severe betrayal in the country's history."
- The controversy follows a previous leak of Ourieh's private messages due to a security lapse.
Israeli journalist Josh Breiner has strongly criticized Yonatan Ourieh, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over revelations that Ourieh used ChatGPT to seek ideas for improving Qatar's image during the ongoing war. Breiner, who covers crime and police for the newspaper "Haaretz," accused Ourieh and the Prime Minister's office of working to benefit Qatar, which he described as an enemy state, while Israelis were dying.
Ourieh reportedly admitted to interacting with ChatGPT in September 2024, during the war, and claimed he had worked for the Qatari government during the 2022 World Cup when Netanyahu was in opposition. Leaked interrogation transcripts, published by senior journalist Amnat Abramovich on N12, show Ourieh asking ChatGPT for "strategic plans to change global public opinion" regarding Qatar and requesting "three key messages for target audiences: Israeli citizens, Jewish communities worldwide, and opinion leaders in the US" to "whitewash Qatar and improve its image."
Despite being confronted with this information, Ourieh maintained he did not recall his specific queries to ChatGPT and denied acting on behalf of Qatar in Israel. Breiner, quoting his own tweet, stated, "Qatar is an enemy state. From the Prime Minister's office, they acted to benefit Qatar during the war. It's serious, it's security-related, it's criminal. Get out of our lives."
Political figures also reacted strongly. Gadi Eisenkot, Chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, called Ourieh a "Qatari agent" and demanded his immediate dismissal. Naftali Bennett, Chairman of the Yachad party, labeled the affair "the most severe betrayal in the country's history," alleging that the same hand that funded Hamas's atrocities also funded someone close to the Prime Minister to "whitewash our most dangerous enemy."
This incident follows a previous leak of Ourieh's private WhatsApp messages, attributed to a security lapse involving a UAE management service and exposed access tokens on GitHub. The leak revealed conversations with journalists and political figures, which Ourieh's legal team claimed were illegally accessed and partially manipulated. The article also notes Breiner's past work developing an AI tool for the Netanyahus to monitor media coverage.
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