Israeli Supreme Court Rejects Eliead Shraga's Ninth Attempt to Bar PM Netanyahu's Adviser

The Israeli Supreme Court delivered a setback to Eliead Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality Government, by rejecting his ninth petition seeking to remove Yonatan Urich, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's adviser, from the Prime Minister's Office. The petition was based solely on a shaky media report alleging that Netanyahu's advisers leaked classified security information to Qatar, including details about Egypt. Urich and another adviser, Sharulik Einhorn, denied these claims as false.

The court, presided over by Deputy President Noam Solberg and Justices Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher, dismissed the petition and ordered Shraga's movement to pay court costs of 3,000 shekels. The judges emphasized that media reports alone do not provide sufficient factual basis for legal claims and criticized the petitioners for repeatedly filing similar, unsubstantiated requests, noting this was their ninth such attempt. Urich responded to the ruling with a sarcastic comment about donating the fine to a summer camp.

This ruling underscores the court's stance on requiring substantial evidence beyond press allegations for legal actions against government officials. The Movement for Quality Government has yet to indicate if it will pursue further legal steps.