Netanyahu Advisor Admits Working for Qatar Post-Oct. 7
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
Yonatan Uriach, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted in an investigation that he continued working on a campaign to improve Qatar's image after the October 7th attacks. He stated he saw no moral issue with the work, which he estimated paid him hundreds of thousands of shekels. Uriach also said he did not inform Netanyahu of his involvement and saw no conflict of interest. The campaign, developed with fellow advisor Sharulik Einhorn, aimed to improve Qatar's image ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Netanyahu advisor Yonatan Uriach admitted continuing work for Qatar post-October 7th.
- Uriach told investigators he saw no moral issue with the campaign for Qatar.
- He estimated receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels for the project.
- Uriach stated he did not inform Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his involvement.
- The campaign aimed to improve Qatar's image and continued after the war began.
- Uriach and Sharulik Einhorn developed the campaign before the 2022 World Cup.
Yonatan Uriach, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted during questioning in the Qatar affair that he continued working on a campaign to improve Qatar's image even after the October 7th attacks. The report, which Uriach did not deny, stated he told investigators he saw no moral issue with this and estimated he received hundreds of thousands of shekels for the project. This confirms previous reports that the campaign continued after the war began.
Uriach had difficulty pinpointing when his work on the campaign ended but suggested it was in mid-to-late 2024. He told investigators he did not inform Netanyahu about his involvement, stating, "I don't report to the Prime Minister about what I do." He also noted a significant difference between international affairs and domestic matters, and that as an external consultant, he was never required to disclose such work.
Uriach explained to investigators that the Qatar World Cup project did not bother him in relation to attacking Qatar from Israel. When asked if either party was aware of the other's involvement, he briefly replied, "No." He reiterated that he saw no moral problem with the work, especially since respected individuals like former general and current number two in the hostage headquarters, Poli Mordechai, and former Mossad personnel were also involved. He emphasized that he believed he acted neither immorally nor unprofessionally.
When a questioner suggested he could have stopped the campaign work after October 7th or informed Netanyahu, Uriach responded that he saw no conflict or moral issue. Previous reports from 2024 revealed that Uriach and Sharulik Einhorn, both close advisors to Netanyahu, had developed a campaign to improve Qatar's global image ahead of the 2022 World Cup. This project, dubbed "Lighthouse," involved Uriach and Einhorn's firm Perception shaping messages and strategy, while a company called Qoyus implemented them using fake accounts and websites.
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