Netanyahu adviser Urich received 1.19 million shekels for projects — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, Yonatan Urich, a senior aide and personal media adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, received 1.19 million shekels in 2024 for work with foreign clients. The Jerusalem Post reported this, citing the KAN television channel. According to the channel, the funds came from the consulting company Perception Media, owned by Israel Einhorn.

Payments for foreign projects

Urich officially worked as an external adviser to the prime minister while also carrying out work for foreign states. Among such projects were those connected to Qatar. Investigation materials cited by KAN indicate that Urich received 1.19 million shekels from January through September 2024.

In particular, he was transferred 68,000 shekels in January, 178,000 in February, 99,000 in March, 79,000 in April, and 206,000 shekels in May. Three more payments of 178,000 shekels each were made in August and September.

KAN also reported that Urich had no arrangement to prevent a conflict of interest, and his work did not undergo security vetting. Judge Mizrahi generally agreed with Urich’s position regarding his status as an external adviser, while Judge Michels expressed concern about this.

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Suspicions in the Qatargate case

Urich is one of the central suspects in the investigation into the Qatargate case. Investigators from Lahav 433, the National Unit for International Investigations, suspect that he may have helped arrange a meeting between Netanyahu and a former senior Mossad official.

According to N12, this former official is suspected of involvement in the Qatargate case. The non-public meeting with Netanyahu took place in the summer of 2024 and was not entered into the prime minister’s official schedule. During questioning, Urich denied that he had been asked to arrange this meeting or that the former Mossad official had approached him to coordinate contacts with the head of government.

Contacts with Qatari officials

According to the publication, the former Mossad employee is suspected of assisting in arranging meetings between Urich and Einhorn with Ali al-Tawadi, a senior Qatari official close to the emir. People involved in the project also met in London, Paris, and Berlin, where they discussed the joint Lighthouse project, which later became a campaign to improve Qatar’s image.