Full Breakdown
Netanyahu Adviser’s Qatar Work Continues After Oct 7 Attack
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Adviser Admits Ongoing Qatar Campaign Post-Oct 7
Yonatan Urich, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told investigators that he kept working on a public-relations campaign to improve Qatar’s international image after the Oct 7 Hamas attack. He estimated that he received “hundreds of thousands of shekels” for the work and said he saw no moral conflict in continuing the project. Urich could not give a precise end date, but placed the termination of his involvement in “mid-to-late 2024.” He also stated that he never reported the Qatar work to the prime minister because, as an external consultant, he was not required to do so.
Background & Context: Qatargate and “Project Lighthouse”
The allegations form part of the broader Qatargate scandal, which centers on senior Netanyahu aides allegedly conducting paid public-relations work for the Gulf state while serving in the Prime Minister’s Office. In 2022, Urich and fellow adviser Srulik Einhorn launched “Project Lighthouse,” a campaign designed to boost Qatar’s image ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The effort was run through their firm Perception, with the digital-media company Koios deploying a network of avatars and fake websites to disseminate the messaging. Subsequent reporting indicates that the campaign persisted throughout the Gaza war that followed Oct 7.
Data & Statistics: Payments and Campaign Structure
- Payments: Urich repeatedly referenced “hundreds of thousands of shekels” as his compensation for the Qatar project. He could not specify an exact figure.
- Timeline: The original World Cup effort began in 2022; Urich says his involvement continued until at least mid-to-late 2024, overlapping the war period.
- Operational Details: Perception handled strategy and messaging; Koios executed the online component using fictitious personas and websites.
Official Statements & Responses
- Netanyahu’s Testimony: The prime minister told police investigators that there was “no way” Urich was receiving money from Qatar.
- Urich’s Rebuttal: When confronted with Netanyahu’s claim, Urich replied, “That’s between him and me.” He also emphasized that his external adviser status exempted him from disclosing the work.
- Investigators’ Findings: Police interrogation transcripts note that Urich traveled to Europe twice in 2024 to meet a senior Qatari minister in an “unofficial capacity,” and that materials showed payments for post-Oct 7 promotion of Qatar’s interests.
Criticism & Opposition
Bennett argued that a “group of agents and traitors” were operating inside the Prime Minister’s Office on behalf of an enemy state and called for Netanyahu to address the issue “today, tonight, right now.” He has also described Qatar as “more dangerous” to Israel than Iran and pledged to label the emirate an enemy state if his party joins a governing coalition after the upcoming election.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There is a fundamental difference between what happens abroad and what happens in Israel.” — Yonatan Urich, an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu