Israeli Attorney General to Add Security Charges in 'KeterGate' Case Against PM's Advisor and Others

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is expected to include security-related offenses in the indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisor Yonatan Urich, Eli Feldstein, and a former senior Mossad official in the ongoing 'KeterGate' affair. This development was revealed on Tuesday evening by Channel 13's main news broadcast. The Justice Ministry believes there is sufficient evidence to charge the suspects with contact with a foreign agent, a serious security violation, even though the final security assessments from the Shin Bet and Mossad have not yet been received.

The indictment will be filed subject to a hearing and will cover offenses related to national security. The former Mossad official is also expected to face charges. About two months ago, it was reported that the Mossad was preparing a legal opinion on whether to prosecute Urich, Feldstein, and another suspect, Sarulik Einhorn, for security offenses. There were also concerns about a conflict of interest involving Mossad chief Román Gofman, due to his previous role as military secretary to Netanyahu, but the issue was reviewed internally.

The case centers on discrepancies between Netanyahu's and Urich's testimonies regarding the operations of the Prime Minister's spokespersons. Netanyahu denied having direct professional contact with Feldstein, calling him "a nobody," while Urich testified that spokespersons work directly with the Prime Minister and that all official communications require his approval. Recently, Urich was added to a revised indictment related to leaking classified documents to the German newspaper Bild, facing charges including intentional disclosure of secret information to harm state security, possession of secret information, and evidence destruction.