Police fail in request to extend measures against Netanyahu aide Urich
During a previous hearing barely a few weeks ago, an Israeli police representative noted that the investigation should end in the coming weeks.
The judge of the Magistrate of Rishon Lezion, Menahem Mizrahi, rejected a plea Thursday by police to extend the restrictive measures placed on Yonatan Urich, aid to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a chief suspect in the case “Qatargate”.
Mizrahi, however, granted an authorization to the police to appeal the decision to the Lod district court, a window of opportunity valid of 72 hours and brutally criticized the police for his conduct in the case.
The restrictive measures that the police asked the court to prolong for two months was to prohibit Urich from contacting anyone in the Prime Minister’s office, the company’s “perception” – which is at the heart of the investigation – and the Prime Minister himself.
This is the third time that this series of actions has been taking place, where Mizrahi has granted a leniency concerning Urich and the police appealed before the district court of Lod and the judge Amit Michles canceled him the decision of Mizrahi and restored the measures.
During a previous hearing a few weeks ago, the police representative of the police. Aviv Porat noted that the investigation should end in a few weeks.
(LR): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu, spokesperson Yonatan Urich and former assistant Eli Feldstein (illustrative) (Credit: Canva, Flash90 / Chaim Goldberg)
What are the suspicions of Netanyahu Yonatan Urich’s assistant?
Urich, among other figures close to the Prime Minister and working in the Prime Minister’s office, is suspected of orchestrating and managing Qatari influences on influential decision -makers. It would have started before the War of Israel-Hamas, but it became much heavier after the attack on the massacre of October 7 by Hamas and the role of Qatar as a mediator.
The two cases at hand have won the nickname “Qatargate” and “the case of disclosed documents”. Former PMO military spokesperson Eli Feldstein would have disclosed classified military documents to the German tabloid BallAfter the authorization of their publication, the Censur des FDI was refused.
The documents were finally published, allegedly influenced public opinion on hostage negotiations. It was around August 2024, when six hostages were killed by their Hamas captors in a tunnel: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat and Alex Lobanov.
