Netanyahu Blasts “Baseless” Draft Charges Against Senior Aide Over Alleged Leak of Classified Hamas Document

JERUSALEM, July 15— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday denounced draft criminal charges against one of his closest advisers, calling the allegations “baseless and unfounded” and accusing Attorney General Gali Baharav‑Miara of politically motivated timing.

The Attorney General’s Office said on Sunday that it intends to indict Jonatan Urich, a longtime Netanyahu media strategist, pending a pre‑trial hearing. Prosecutors allege Urich and former adviser Eli Feldstein leaked a highly classified Israeli intelligence assessment of Hamas tactics to the German newspaper Bild in September 2024, days after the discovery of six Israeli hostages’ bodies in a Gaza tunnel.

A draft indictment obtained by Israeli media charges Urich with:

• Transmitting classified material with intent to harm state security

• Possessing classified material without authorization

• Obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence

Prosecutors say Urich switched cellphones the day after Feldstein’s arrest in November 2024 to shield data from investigators.

“There was no harm to state security. Jonatan did not harm state security,” Netanyahu wrote on X, claiming the attorney general’s announcement amid a move to oust her “raises serious concerns.”

The draft indictment landed hours before a new ministerial committee—created by Netanyahu’s governing coalition—convened its first hearing on whether to dismiss Baharav‑Miara, who also oversees the prime minister’s long‑running corruption trial. Coalition lawmakers say she obstructs government policy; the attorney general counters that ministers seek to place themselves “above the law.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid demanded Netanyahu explain “what and when he knew” of the leak and why anyone involved retained access to sensitive security matters.

Baharav‑Miara also announced her intent to indict Kobi Yaakobi, Israel Prison Service commissioner and ally of far‑right National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir. Yaakobi is accused of tipping off a senior officer about an internal probe into alleged cover‑ups of Jewish nationalist violence. Ben Gvir called the charges “political” and pledged full backing to Yaakobi, who has indicated he will resign if formally indicted.

Feldstein and Urich are already defendants in the so‑called Qatargate case, accused of running a pro‑Qatar public‑relations campaign while on the government payroll. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was dismissed by Netanyahu after his agency opened that investigation; the prime minister and attorney general have since agreed Bar’s successor will be appointed only after the probe concludes later this summer.

Urich’s pre‑indictment hearing is expected within weeks. If a full indictment follows, he would face trial on national‑security charges rarely leveled against a serving prime‑ministerial aide—further intensifying a legal and political showdown at the apex of Israeli power.