Netanyahu Met Secretly With Former Mossad Official Tied to Qatar Project Post-Oct. 7
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met with a former senior Mossad official involved in Qatar's influence project in the summer of 2024, months after the October 7th attacks. The official allegedly asked Netanyahu to moderate anti-Qatar remarks by ministers. Netanyahu's advisor, Yonatan Urikh, is suspected of arranging the meeting, but he denies this, despite investigators presenting evidence to the contrary. Urikh also denied facilitating requests from the official to curb ministers' anti-Qatar statements.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting with a former senior Mossad official in summer 2024.
- The official, involved in Qatar's influence project, allegedly asked Netanyahu to moderate anti-Qatar statements.
- Netanyahu's advisor, Yonatan Urikh, is suspected of arranging the secret meeting.
- Urikh denied arranging the meeting or facilitating requests to curb ministers' anti-Qatar remarks.
- The meeting occurred months after the October 7th attacks and was not officially logged.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting in the summer of 2024 with a former senior Mossad official, identified only as 'Shin Bet' (Sh), who is reportedly the highest-ranking Israeli involved in Qatar's influence project in Israel. The meeting, which occurred months after the October 7th attacks and is not recorded in the Prime Minister's official schedule, was revealed on Sunday. During the private discussion, Shin Bet allegedly asked Netanyahu to moderate harsh statements made by some government ministers against Qatar. At the time, Netanyahu himself maintained a strong stance against the Gulf state, while Shin Bet was reportedly working to advance Qatari interests in Israel.
Shin Bet, who previously held a senior position in the Mossad and concluded his service dealing with the UAE, later became involved in business dealings with Qatar. His activities included involvement in the World Cup project in Qatar and continued after October 7th. Investigators suspect that Shin Bet also facilitated meetings between Netanyahu's close advisor, Yonatan Urikh, and Israel Einhorn, and a senior Qatari official close to the Emir, Ali Al-Thawadi.
Investigators from the Lahav 433 international investigations unit suspect that Urikh, who worked in the Prime Minister's office while also being involved in the Qatari project, helped arrange the meeting between Netanyahu and Shin Bet. Urikh, however, denied in his interrogation that he was asked to organize the meeting or that Shin Bet approached him to arrange meetings with the Prime Minister. He stated he did not recall specific requests but believed the Prime Minister knew Shin Bet.
Investigators confronted Urikh with evidence suggesting Shin Bet had approached him and that he had contacted the Prime Minister's office to arrange meetings. Urikh repeatedly denied remembering such events, stating, "I never harmed the country's security." He also denied that Shin Bet asked him to approach ministers Amichai Chikli, Nir Barkat, and Ron Dermer to curb their strong anti-Qatar statements. When investigators insisted he was lying and that evidence showed Shin Bet specifically approached him due to his proximity and influence within the Prime Minister's office, Urikh maintained his denial.
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