Netanyahu Aide and Feldstein Trade Accusations Over Qatar Ties
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, engaged in a public dispute on X, accusing each other of ties to Qatar and deception. The conflict arose after reports that Urich met with a senior Qatari official, Ali Al-Thawadi, twice in Europe in July 2024. Urich confirmed meetings but had poor recall during an investigation, while Netanyahu stated he was unaware of them. Both men used the phrase "He would have been thrown out the window" in their accusations.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Eli Feldstein and PM Netanyahu's advisor Yonatan Urich traded accusations of ties to Qatar and deception.
- The dispute followed reports of Urich meeting senior Qatari official Ali Al-Thawadi twice in Europe in July 2024.
- Urich confirmed meetings during an investigation but claimed poor memory of their details.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in his investigation that he was unaware of Urich's meetings with Qatari officials.
- Both Feldstein and Urich used the identical phrase "He would have been thrown out the window" in their public statements.
A sharp exchange of accusations has erupted between Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, an advisor and confidant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following revelations that Urich met with a senior Qatari official during the war. Both men published statements on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, accusing each other of having ties to Qatar and of deception, using the identical phrase: "He would have been thrown out the window."
Feldstein wrote, "If I or anyone around the Prime Minister knew that Yonatan Urich was working for Qatar and meeting with them during the war, perpetrating a huge deception against me and others, he would have been thrown out the window." Shortly after, Urich responded in a nearly identical manner: "If I or anyone around the Prime Minister knew that Eli Feldstein was promoting Qatar in Israel while perpetrating a huge deception of journalists, he would have been thrown out the window."
The dispute follows a report by Channel 12 news, which stated that Urich confirmed in an investigation that he met with Ali Al-Thawadi, a senior Qatari official and close associate of the Emir of Qatar, during the war. According to the report, at least two meetings took place in Europe in July 2024, about nine months after the war began. Shralik Einhorn and lobbyist Jay Putterlik also attended one of these meetings in Berlin.
During his investigation by Lahav 433 in May 2025, Urich was confronted with testimony from a former Mossad official who claimed Urich met with Al-Thawadi at least twice. Urich did not deny the possibility but stated he had difficulty remembering the meetings or their content, responding "I barely remember one" when asked about the number of meetings.
According to the report, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in his investigation that he was unaware of Urich's business dealings with Qatari figures and that his advisor had not updated him on the meetings. Urich, for his part, denied in his investigation that he acted to promote Qatar's interests in Israel, asserting, "I did not act and did nothing for Qatar in Israel, not with the Israeli media, not with Israeli citizens, nor with the Prime Minister."
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