Netanyahu’s Advisor Sought ChatGPT Guidance to Boost Qatar’s Reputation Among Israelis and Global Jewish Communities

Channel 12 reported on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser, Yonatan Urich, enlisted ChatGPT to devise a strategy aimed at enhancing Qatar’s perception both in Israel and internationally.

According to N12, investigators cited excerpts from Urich’s interrogation in the Qatargate probe, presenting him with police‑obtained correspondence linked to multiple high‑profile investigations involving the adviser.

The Qatargate investigation alleges that Urich and other Netanyahu associates accepted illicit funds from Qatari‑linked entities to disseminate pro‑Qatari messaging within Israel, with suspected offenses ranging from bribery and illicit foreign‑agent contact to money laundering.

Urich Sought AI‑Generated Pro‑Qatar Messaging Aimed at Israelis and Global Jewish Audiences

During the interrogation, excerpts showed that Urich asked the chatbot for further suggestions on bolstering the image of Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and its Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

He additionally requested three distinct messaging frameworks—one aimed at Israeli citizens, another at Jewish communities worldwide, and a third directed at influential figures in the United States.

Despite being presented with the correspondence, Urich persisted in denying any effort to advance Qatar’s interests, the report noted.

“I don’t recall what I asked the chat,” he told investigators, adding, “I pose many questions to it.”

Urich emphasized that he had not acted on Qatar’s behalf in Israel, whether in interactions with the media, the public, or the prime minister.

Eisenkot Said a ‘Reasonable’ Prime Minister Would Have Dismissed Urich

In reaction to the report, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu for not removing Urich from his inner circle amid the ongoing Qatargate investigation.

Eisenkot characterized the affair as an “influence operation and psychological warfare” targeting Israeli citizens, asserting that a reasonable prime minister would have promptly dismissed Urich.

Former prime minister and B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett also condemned Netanyahu, labeling Qatargate the “most serious treason scandal in the country’s history.”

Bennett asserted that anyone attempting to sanitize Qatar’s image from the Prime Minister’s Office during wartime was serving the interests of “the hand that funded the Nukhba terrorists,” and accused Netanyahu of retaining Urich to conceal the betrayal.

Urich Claims He Took No Action Based on His ChatGPT Queries About Qatar

In a response to N12, Urich stated that the information published had “long been known to many journalists, who had already spoken with me about it.”

“Yet none of them chose to address my chat inquiries, since I took no action based on them—a point also confirmed during the interrogation,” the adviser added.

Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.

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