Leaked WhatsApp messages reveal Netanyahu aide's close coordination with Channel 12 analyst
A hack of adviser Jonatan Urich’s WhatsApp exposed his collaboration with Channel 12 political analyst Amit Segal on Netanyahu’s campaign messaging.
A recent hack of adviser Jonatan Urich’s WhatsApp account revealed messages linking the Netanyahu reelection campaign to Channel 12 chief political analyst Amit Segal. In the exchanges, Segal provided counsel on campaign videos and argued that Netanyahu’s response to the October 7 attack remains his core political strength. The documents, confirmed, arrive as the campaign endures multiple leaks and a controversy over Urich’s purported payments from Qatar.
Segal refused to discuss the messages publicly, and Urich’s legal representative cautioned that publishing the content might violate Israel’s privacy protection statutes. The incident highlights the close ties between Israeli media figures and the prime minister’s political operation and reflects the broader regional cyber-war aimed at influencing the upcoming Oct. 27 election.
Why it matters
The leak shows how media insiders are directly shaping a major election campaign, raising concerns about journalistic independence and cyber-security.
How this story developed
- Sep 3 Netanyahu urges fragmented right-wing parties to merge ahead of October election
- Sep 12 Eisenkot’s Yashar party entered the race with a poll showing 23 projected seats.
- Sep 23 Israel's Central Elections Committee barred the Joint List from the upcoming Knesset election, prompting the alliance to label the move racist and vow a Supreme Court appeal.
- Sep 24 The electoral commission has acted on two Arab party lists.
- Sep 24 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that the international community must accelerate the US-backed Gaza peace plan and prevent a repeat of the 1948 displacement.
- Sep 24 The United States denied visas to Abbas and other Palestinian officials for a second consecutive year, forcing a video address to the UN.
- Sep 27 Netanyahu publicly urged right‑wing parties to merge ahead of the election.
- Oct 2 The Central Elections Committee voted 18-5 to bar the United Arab List and the Joint List from the ballot.
- Oct 2 Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy following the court's indication it may approve a disqualification petition.
- Oct 6 Opposition leaders met to outline a coordinated electoral strategy.
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