Netanyahu Adviser Jonatan Urich Faced Scrutiny Over Foreign Business Ties
Prime Minister adviser Jonatan Urich received 1.19 million shekels in 2024 from a firm tied to foreign clients, including Qatar, sparking conflict of interest concerns.
Jonatan Urich, a close media adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has drawn intense scrutiny following investigations into his business ties and activities involving foreign entities during the ongoing war.
According to investigative materials, Urich received approximately 1.19 million shekels over a nine-month period in 2024 from Perception, a firm owned by Srulik Einhorn. The payments were issued for consulting work with various foreign clients, including about 18,000 dollars a month tied to the "Leitus" project aimed at polishing Qatar's international image.
Investigative reports highlight that Urich maintained his close advisory role inside the Prime Minister's Office simultaneously. Critics and investigators note that no formal conflict of interest arrangement was ever put in place, raising potential security and regulatory concerns.
Financial records indicate monthly transfers varying throughout the year, including 68,400 shekels in January, 177,901 shekels in February, 99,928 shekels in March, 79,200 shekels in April, 206,080 shekels in May, and multiple August and September transfers of 187,200 shekels each.
Urich's defense maintains that as an external Likud consultant rather than a formal civil servant, he is entitled to manage private clients outside his official duties. Meanwhile, the adviser has also launched sharp public attacks against mainstream media outlets over their coverage of his ongoing legal and political controversies.
