Netanyahu Aide Sues Activist Over Leaked Phone Data
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisor, Yonatan Urich, has filed a NIS 1 million lawsuit against activist Itay Lashem over leaked private phone data. A court issued an interim order against Lashem, who claims the leak was a self-orchestrated "influence operation" by Urich. The case highlights a dispute over privacy versus alleged political manipulation, with a court hearing scheduled for November 3rd. Netanyahu stated Urich did not access classified information.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Yonatan Urich, advisor to PM Netanyahu, sued activist Itay Lashem for NIS 1 million over leaked phone data.
- A court issued an interim order against Lashem, prohibiting further publication of Urich's private information.
- Lashem claims the leak was a self-orchestrated "influence operation" by Urich for political gain.
- Urich's lawyers view Lashem's actions as a criminal invasion of privacy and media extortion.
- A court hearing on November 3rd will address the dispute between criminal breach allegations and influence operation claims.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu stated Urich did not have access to classified security information.
A legal battle has erupted over leaked private information from the mobile phone of Yonatan Urich, a close advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A Jerusalem court has issued an interim order against former lawyer and activist Itay Lashem, prohibiting him from publishing or using any materials obtained from Urich's phone. The order came after Urich filed a NIS 1 million lawsuit against Lashem, alleging that unknown individuals had breached his phone and accessed an unprecedented amount of personal and confidential data.
According to the lawsuit, Lashem received a file containing 107 calls and nearly 19,000 WhatsApp messages from Urich's phone. Lashem subsequently published parts of this content on social media and created a dedicated website, despite receiving stern warning letters. Urich's legal team, including lawyers Amit Hadad, Noa Milstein, and Lior Mor Yosef, is pursuing the case, viewing Lashem's actions as a severe violation of privacy and media extortion.
Lashem, however, disputes the narrative of a criminal cyber breach. He claims the leak was a deliberate "influence operation" orchestrated by Urich himself in anticipation of elections. Lashem alleges that Urich connected his WhatsApp to an external service in Dubai and set up a monitoring system, fabricating a story of negligence and a security breach to selectively leak conversations that serve his and Netanyahu's political agenda.
Urich and his lawyers consider Lashem's actions a criminal invasion of privacy and media extortion, while Lashem dismisses the lawsuit as a "spin and a joke" intended to divert attention. He asserts that the published materials reveal Urich's problematic connections with foreign entities and influence operations aimed at manipulating the Israeli public.
The court is set to hear arguments from both sides on November 3rd to decide on the delicate line between a criminal breach and claims of influence operations within Israeli politics. The leak first gained public attention after Urich's lawyers sent warning letters to other activists who published the materials, including Matan Alkalai and Guy Larar, host of the program 'HaTzinor', who received a warning for publishing a graph allegedly showing incorrect ratings for his show.
Prime Minister Netanyahu himself addressed Urich's connections with Qatar in a television interview, stating that his advisor did not have access to classified information or attend security meetings, as he was not briefed on security matters.
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