Netanyahu Aide Uriach Accused of Leaking Cabinet Information
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Recordings from the interrogation of Yonatan Uriach, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggest he leaked information from the Security Cabinet. Uriach claims he acted with Netanyahu's approval, but investigators and a judge believe his role was more significant than that of a political advisor. Uriach faces charges including conveying secret information, and the court rejected a request to restrict his access to sensitive facilities.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yonatan Uriach, Netanyahu's advisor, is accused of leaking information from the Security Cabinet based on interrogation recordings.
- Uriach claims all his briefings were authorized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Investigators and a judge believe Uriach's role was more significant than a political advisor.
- Uriach faces charges including conveying secret information to harm national security.
- The court rejected a request to bar Uriach from the Prime Minister's office and sensitive facilities.
Recordings from the interrogation of Yonatan Uriach, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have surfaced, suggesting he may have leaked information from the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs, also known as the Security Cabinet. The recordings, aired by Kan News, present investigators' evidence that Uriach handled security matters and extracted information from the Cabinet immediately after its discussions during the war.
Uriach's defense hinges on his status as a personal political advisor rather than a state employee, arguing this absolves him of conflict of interest despite his simultaneous employment by Qatar. However, investigators at Lahav 433 presented him with evidence indicating his involvement in security affairs and the alleged dissemination of classified information.
Testimony from the Prime Minister and Uriach's own interrogation revealed that Netanyahu authorized Uriach to release security information from Cabinet discussions. This has strengthened the investigators' and a judge's belief that Uriach's actual role, given his close proximity to the Prime Minister, extended beyond that of an external political advisor.
Uriach maintained throughout his interrogations that all his briefings were conducted with the Prime Minister's approval. "When the Prime Minister asks me to release a certain piece of information, it is not a leak, it does not contradict," Uriach stated during his interrogation. He further claimed he was not exposed to classified material beyond what Netanyahu permitted him to disclose.
Uriach reiterated this defense when questioned about information he allegedly leaked from the Cabinet to Eli Feldstein, stating, "Netanyahu is the ultimate authority as a keeper of secrets; when he instructs me to brief, I do so with permission." The fact that Uriach earned tens of thousands of shekels from Qatar while working closely with Netanyahu leads law enforcement agencies to question his narrative, which is supported by the Prime Minister's stance.
During court proceedings, Judge Amit Michels remarked, "He concealed his actions from the Prime Minister and the fact that he received money to advance Qatar's interests, long after the war began and until the affair was exposed." In June, Uriach was added as a defendant to the indictment against Eli Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld concerning the leak of secret documents. He faces charges including knowingly conveying secret information to harm national security, conveying secret information, possessing secret information, and destroying evidence. The Tel Aviv District Court had previously rejected the prosecution's request to bar Uriach from the Prime Minister's office and any sensitive facilities.
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