Former Netanyahu aide could face charges

JERUSALEM Israel s attorney general disclosed Sunday a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advised that he could face criminal prosecution on assertions of providing secret information with the intent of harming the country s defense The advance involving a central figure in what is popularly known in Israel as Qatargate comes after police earlier this year arrested the adviser Jonatan Urich and former spokesman Eli Feldstein on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel Feldstein also has been indicted in a separate episode involving the leak of classified information to a German tabloid and Sunday s report says Urich could face criminal prosecution in that situation The attorney general s announcement explained Urich is accused of working with Feldstein to share highly classified Israeli military information and noted the release was intended among other things to influence general awareness regarding the prime minister and to shift the discourse following the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August of last year The report says the criminal prosecution of Urich is subject to a hearing but does not say when that will occur There was no immediate inhabitants reaction from the office of Netanyahu which has been ensnared in controversy while the prime minister continues to face pressure from the Israeli population over the -month war in Gaza In the Qatargate episode Urich and Feldstein were arrested earlier this year on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar a country that multiple Israelis view as a patron of Hamas to promote it in Israel Qatar is a key mediator in the indirect ceasefire negotiations for Gaza and denies backing the militant group