A District Court ruling on Monday reinstated a ban prohibiting Yonatan Urich, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from contacting the premier as investigations continue into multiple high-profile investigations.
Lod District Court Judge Amit Michles overturned a lower court decision that would have allowed Urich to communicate with Netanyahu, ruling that the restriction is necessary to prevent the potential obstruction of justice.
The ruling centers on Urich’s alleged involvement in several interlocking cases, most notably the “Bild affair,” which involves the unauthorized leak of classified military intelligence to German daily Bild.
Investigators believe the leak was part of a coordinated effort to manipulate Israeli public opinion regarding hostage negotiations during the ongoing war. Urich faces a pre-indictment hearing for security-related offenses, including the delivery of secret information and the destruction of evidence.
The court emphasized that a new branch of the investigation, referred to as the “obstruction case,” (the “midnight meeting affair”) was a primary factor in maintaining the no-contact order. Michles noted that investigators have made multiple attempts to coordinate an open testimony from Netanyahu, but the sessions have been delayed due to the Prime Minister’s wartime schedule.
The court found that allowing Urich to contact the Prime Minister before this testimony is secured poses a significant risk to the integrity of the investigation.
Urich faces bribery, foreign agent charges in Qatargate
Beyond the Bild leak, Urich remains a central suspect in the “Qatargate” affair, in which authorities allege that Urich and other aides received illicit payments from Qatari-linked sources to promote pro-Qatari messaging within Israel. Charges under consideration in this probe include bribery, contact with a foreign agent, and money laundering.
Defense attorneys Amit Hadad and Noa Milstein argued that the ongoing restrictions are disproportionate, noting that Urich has been subject to various restrictive conditions since his initial arrest on March 31, 2025.
They contended that the “obstruction case” is an artificial construct used by police to justify further separating Urich from his professional duties. However, the District Court maintained that the evidentiary strength of the suspicions remains high and necessitates the current safeguards.
Under the terms of the ruling, Urich will remain barred from the Prime Minister’s Office and prohibited from contacting the premier until at least March 19. The decision marks the latest in a series of appellate reversals where higher courts have reinstated restrictions on Netanyahu’s inner circle after they were previously lifted by the Magistrate's Court.