Netanyahu Advisor Admits Qatar Consulting Work Amid War
Translated & summarized from Mignews by baba
Yonatan Urich, a key political advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted to continuing to work for Qatari entities until mid-to-late 2024, receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels. He initially denied this work after October 7, 2023, but later changed his testimony. Urich claims his work was external and did not violate laws or ethics, despite public accusations against Qatar. Prime Minister Netanyahu has provided legal defense for Urich, while opposition leaders have condemned the situation as a national security threat.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Netanyahu advisor Yonatan Urich admitted to consulting for Qatar until mid-to-late 2024.
- Urich received hundreds of thousands of shekels for improving Qatar's image.
- He initially denied post-October 7 work but changed testimony under pressure.
- Investigators noted a conflict between his ties and Israel's accusations against Qatar.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu is funding Urich's legal defense.
- Opposition leaders called the situation an unprecedented national security threat.
Yonatan Urich, a key political advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted to continuing to work for Qatari entities during the ongoing conflict. Urich confirmed during questioning by the police special unit "Lahav 433" that his work to improve Doha's image extended until mid-to-late 2024. Israeli media reported that Urich received hundreds of thousands of shekels for his participation in this media project. Initially, Urich denied providing services to Qatar after October 7, 2023, but changed his testimony under pressure, admitting he stopped much later, after being notified by project coordinator Srulik Einhorn.
Urich emphasized that his work focused solely on the emirate's international positioning and was not coordinated with Israeli media. Investigators pointed out the contradiction between his financial ties to Doha and Jerusalem's public accusations against Qatar for harboring and financially supporting Hamas leaders. Urich stated he never informed the Prime Minister about his personal business projects, as he functions as an external consultant and is not formally a state employee. He believes his actions did not violate any laws, ethical norms, or create a conflict of interest.
Investigators also presented Urich with saved ChatGPT queries containing arguments to defend Qatar's positions to the Israeli public. Urich rejected accusations of domestic propaganda, describing the saved texts as abstract conversations with a chatbot on general topics. Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously categorically denied any knowledge of his aide working for Doha. Despite the ongoing "Qatargate" investigation and potential charges related to leaks of classified information, Netanyahu has provided Urich with legal defense funded by the Likud party and has not removed him from his position.
The publication of Urich's testimony drew sharp criticism from Israeli opposition leaders. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the situation an unprecedented threat to national security and demanded public explanations from Netanyahu. Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, urged law enforcement to immediately investigate the Prime Minister's office's ties to foreign sponsors.
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