A judge dismissed the prosecution's request to prohibit Yonatan Urich, a Netanyahu aide, from contacting the prime minister's office. Urich's lawyer, David Peter, said the bid had "no legal basis" and was part of a systematic attempt to isolate Netanyahu from his closest associates.
The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday evening rejected a prosecution request to bar Yonatan Urich, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from contacting the Prime Minister's Office while under indictment. The ruling, issued shortly after 15:36, upholds Urich's continued access to the PMO and effectively ends the prosecution's bid for a contact ban, which the defense had called legally baseless.
This marks the third ruling in the same thread, all handed down at 15:36 Jerusalem. The first rejected a petition against Urich's presence in the PMO compound; the second dismissed a remand request, with the judge citing no indication that Urich was dangerous or likely to obstruct proceedings. In that hearing, the court also approved the revised security indictment against Urich and co-defendants Eli Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld.
As The Zioneer reported on October 29 at 10:50, Urich, the prime minister's communications adviser, was charged with passing secret information with intent to harm state security and destroying evidence. The prosecution's motion for a PMO ban was part of that expanded indictment. Urich's attorney, David Peter, told reporters the latest request had "no legal basis" and was part of a systematic effort to isolate the prime minister from his closest associates.
What remains open: The case now proceeds to a further hearing scheduled in several weeks. Urich continues working as usual while under indictment. The defense maintains the charges are politically motivated; no date for the next hearing has been publicly set.
4 developments
- StrongJudge permits Uriah to communicate with Netanyahu over prosecution's objection
- DevelopingCourt blocks prosecution bid to hold emergency indictment hearing for Netanyahu aide
- StrongProsecution tells court Netanyahu aide Yonatan Urich sought to tilt public discourse on hostages
- StrongBardugo accuses state attorney of undermining democracy by restricting Netanyahu aide's contact
Source and signal
- Internal intake