The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) is considering downplaying the severity of offenses in the Qatargate affair, Haaretz reported Thursday morning, claiming that the current belief in the organization is that Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein did not endanger state security.
The opinion has reportedly been described by a law enforcement official as “completely watered down and that “they dropped the security implications by several levels.”
Haaretz, citing sources in the law enforcement system, noted that, should this go through, the court may have to drop the security-related charges against Urich and Feldstein and instead focus on other alleged offenses, including bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering.
Senior law enforcement officials reportedly criticized the move, attributing it to Shin Bet Director David Zini’s “new spirit” for the agency, even though he has allegedly been barred from handling the affair.
Former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, however, was quoted as saying that the Qatargate case raises “the gravest suspicions of severe harm to state security.”
In March 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed, without providing evidence, that Bar opened an investigation into 'Qatargate' to prevent his dismissal.
'Continuation of a trend'
“This is a continuation of a trend,” a senior law enforcement official added, according to Haaretz. “Even after they allowed Yonatan Urich to return to the Prime Minister’s Office despite the severity of the suspicions against him.”
According to Haaretz, a draft of the Shin Bet’s opinion on the affair, which was meant to clarify whether Urich and Feldstein could be charged for contact with a foreign agent, since Qatar is not defined as an enemy state, has been prepared since April 2025 but has not yet been finalized.
Drafts of the opinion were reportedly submitted by the Shin Bet in December 2025 and February 2026, after which prosecutors requested further revisions.
The Shin Bet’s delay in finalizing the opinion has reportedly prevented indictments from being filed in the case.