Court Denies Prosecutors' Bid to Restrict Jonathan Urich

This morning, Thursday, the Central District Attorney's Office filed an amended indictment with the Tel Aviv District Court in the classified documents leak case to Bild, centered on the addition of Jonathan Urich, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's communications adviser, as a third main defendant in the case. Urich is charged with a series of serious security offenses, including conveying a secret in intent to harm state security, in two counts, conveying a secret, possessing a secret, and destroying evidence. Alongside the filing of the indictment, which was approved by the Attorney General and the State Attorney, the prosecution requested that restrictions be imposed on Urich, including a further complete ban on entering the Prime Minister's Office and any security facility. Judge Ala Masarwa of the Tel Aviv District Court rejected the prosecution's request and ruled that Urich may remain in contact with Netanyahu.

Attorney Amit Hadad, counsel for Urich and Netanyahu, said at the start of the hearing, "For three and a half months already there have been no restrictions on Urich, he speaks with the prime minister, runs the Likud campaign, and now they are asking to keep him away again. What changed tonight? Let them say they are completely political, let them take off the masks." Hadad added that he learned last night that an indictment would be filed and that restrictive conditions would be requested. According to him, "This is a clear lack of good faith."

Attorney Adi Arad, the prosecutor, said that Hadad also represents both the defendant and "State Witness No. 80 in the thousand cases" (Netanyahu), and therefore stated that "we will consider filing a complaint with the Bar Association over a conflict of interest." According to her, Urich's interest was to advance the prime minister's media interests during the war, during which hostages were being held in the Gaza Strip, and also to sway public discourse. "Urich's conduct reflects a lack of boundaries and harm to state security, especially in light of his role and status. In his case, a significant obstruction ground also exists, and in this context I refer to the facts of the indictment, according to which he destroyed evidence, formatted the phone, after Feldstein was arrested." Arad continued and clarified: "These offenses in and of themselves are filed when the defendant is in custody. Had the investigation developed when the evidence was available at the time the original indictment was filed, there is no doubt we would have requested his detention until the end of proceedings. Urich's role in the commission of the offenses is central, while he worked closely with the prime minister. In view of the close relationship between the prime minister and Urich, there is concern about coordinating versions, and the prime minister's refusal to testify in this case could benefit Urich."