Former Netanyahu aide could face charges in security leak case

JERUSALEM AP Israel s attorney general announced 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 shield The growth 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 occurrence involving the leak of classified information to a German tabloid and Sunday s comment says Urich could face criminal prosecution in that development The attorney general s report announced Urich is accused of working with Feldstein to share highly classified Israeli military information and disclosed the release was intended among other things to influence population awareness regarding the prime minister and to shift the discourse following the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August of last year The message says the criminal prosecution of Urich is subject to a hearing but does not say when that will occur There was no immediate constituents reaction from the office of Netanyahu which has been ensnared in embarrassment while the prime minister continues to face pressure from the Israeli masses 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 several 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 Netanyahu has given a declaration to police on the Qatargate matter but is not a suspect in the matter which he says is baseless and meant to topple his rule Separately Netanyahu is the subject of a long-running corruption trial Source