The State Prosecutor's Office filed a notice Thursday with the Tel Aviv District Court amending the security indictment previously filed against Eli Feldstein and reservist Ari Rosenfeld in connection with the theft of classified and sensitive information from Military Intelligence Directorate systems and its publication in the German newspaper Bild, and Jonatan Urich was added to the indictment. The prosecution also requested that Urich be removed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Netanyahu has also been added to the witness list in the case.
Alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, former Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, National Public Diplomacy Directorate head Moshik Aviv, the Israeli consul in Miami, and former Likud secretary-general Zuri Siso are also set to testify in the case. A number of military personnel are also on the witness list.
Key points
- The State Prosecutor's Office filed a notice amending the indictment against Eli Feldstein and reservist Ari Rosenfeld in the classified documents leak case, adding Jonatan Urich as a co-defendant
- Per the prosecution's request and the amended indictment, Jonatan Urich is to be removed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office – and Netanyahu has been added to the witness list
- Among the witnesses: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, former Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, National Public Diplomacy Directorate head Moshik Aviv, the Israeli consul in Miami, and former Likud secretary-general Zuri Siso
- Urich faces charges of passing classified information with the intent to harm state security, passing classified information, possessing classified information, and destroying evidence.
The amended indictment adds Jonatan Urich – who serves as the prime minister's personal media adviser – as a defendant, revises the factual section and relevant statutory provisions accordingly, and adds prosecution witnesses. Urich faces charges of passing classified information with the intent to harm state security, passing classified information, possessing classified information, and destroying evidence. The indictment was authorized by the Attorney General and the State Prosecutor.
The restrictive conditions
In recent months, the question of restrictive conditions in Urich's case has been revisited several times. While the ban on contact with those involved in the case and the travel restriction have been extended periodically, since last March, he has not been removed from the Prime Minister's Office.
Now, following the filing of the indictment, the prosecution argues that a material change in the balance of considerations justifies reinstating the removal order and maintaining the contact ban. In the motion filed with the court, the prosecution contended that at this stage there is a solid evidentiary foundation establishing a reasonable probability of conviction, and that the picture regarding the potential security damage of the acts has sharpened in light of additional testimony gathered. Given the alleged dangerousness and the concern over obstruction of justice, these are described as minimal and proportionate restrictive conditions.
The prosecution further stressed that the contact ban is required to ensure the proper conduct of the proceedings, among other reasons, because Urich is charged with destroying evidence and because a number of people involved in the case have working relationships or other ties with him.
"Flagrant contempt"
In the filing, the prosecution wrote, "The respondent's conduct and his callousness toward classified information reveal an absence of boundaries and a trampling of state security needs, as well as flagrant contempt for the fact that his actions could lead to further harm to security forces or to the hostages. All of this, while the respondent lacks a security clearance and is therefore not authorized to access or possess classified material."
In January, as part of a police motion filed with the court in the classified documents leak case, a detailed list of individuals connected to the case, from whom Jonatan Urich was being asked to be barred from contacting, was disclosed. The list revealed a long roster of parties, including journalists, defendants, suspects, and witnesses, as well as institutional figures tied to the Prime Minister's Office and the defense establishment.
"Must be dismissed"
Attorneys Oded Saborai and Sivan Hauzman, representing Eli Feldstein, responded to the indictment, "The indictment filed today constitutes a very belated acceptance of claims Feldstein has been making for a year and a half.
"The amended indictment accepts the fact, known to all, that Urich reports directly to the prime minister and works closely alongside him. According to the indictment, Feldstein acted together with Urich on the Bild matter – and did so after Feldstein had emphasized to Urich in a WhatsApp message that 'the prime minister needs to be on board with this.'
"In Feldstein's understanding, his actions with Urich were taken with the prime minister's authorization and within the prime minister's authority – and therefore did not constitute an offense and certainly did not endanger state security. Feldstein should now be dismissed from the indictment, and that is the just outcome we will pursue."
