Police fail in request to extend measures against Netanyahu aide Urich

During a previous hearing just a few weeks ago, an Israel Police representative noted that the investigation is expected to wrap up within the next few weeks.

Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court Judge Menahem Mizrahi denied on Thursday a plea by the police to extend the restrictive measures placed on Yonatan Urich, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a chief suspect in the “Qatargate” affair.

Mizrahi did, however, give police leave to appeal the decision to Lod District Court, a window of opportunity valid for 72 hours and he sharply criticized the police for its conduct in the case.

The restrictive measures that police asked the court to extend for two months were to forbid Urich from contacting anyone in the Prime Minister’s Office, the firm “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 unfolded, where Mizrahi granted leniency regarding Urich and police have appealed to Lod District Court and Judge Amit Michles overturned it Mizrahi’s ruling and reinstated the measures.

During a previous hearing a few weeks ago, police representative Supt. Aviv Porat noted that the investigation is expected to wrap up within a few weeks.

What are the suspicions against Netanyahu aide Yonatan Urich?

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. This allegedly began before the Israel-Hamas War, but it became much more weighty after the October 7 massacre attack by Hamas, and Qatar’s role as a mediator.

The two cases at hand have earned the nickname “Qatargate” and the “Leaked Documents Affair.” Former PMO military spokesman Eli Feldstein allegedly leaked classified military documents to the German tabloid Bild, after permission for their publication was denied by the IDF censor.

The documents were eventually published, allegedly to sway public opinion on the hostage negotiations. This 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.