Former Netanyahu aide could face charges

JERUSALEM Israel s attorney general declared Sunday a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advised that he could face criminal prosecution on accusations of providing secret information with the intent of harming the country s safeguard The expansion 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 affair involving the leak of classified information to a German tabloid and Sunday s comment says Urich could face criminal prosecution in that incident The attorney general s message announced Urich is accused of working with Feldstein to share highly classified Israeli military information and stated the release was intended among other things to influence constituents 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 population reaction from the office of Netanyahu which has been ensnared in shame while the prime minister continues to face pressure from the Israeli constituents over the -month war in Gaza In the Qatargate occurrence 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