From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 11, 2026
PM’s aide says he’ll sue anyone who shares chats leaked from his phone; journalist Amit Segal defends their conversations
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Jonatan Urich says he will sue anyone who leaks or shares private conversations from his phone.
In a statement posted to his X account and attributed to his lawyers, Urich says, “Whoever hacked [my] WhatsApp and published private conversations while adding to and altering the exchanges will pay the full price.
“The same will apply to anyone who publishes, distributes or shares the messages. Anyone who does so is committing a criminal offense and will face a personal lawsuit.”
Meanwhile, on Channel 12, chief political correspondent and analyst Amit Segal defends his own chats with Urich that were leaked today, in which the two appeared very friendly.
“I am going to give self-incriminating testimony: He is by no means the only one,” Segal says on the network, referring to his conversations with various political actors. “The matter is very simple. I know it sounds strange but I’ll let you in on a terrible secret: Journalists do not receive information because of their pretty eyes, certainly not me.”
“They get information as part of a very delicate tango between the journalist and the subject of their coverage… This can include exchanges of information as well as exchanges of opinions.”
He adds: “Many people I’ve covered over the years gave me drafts of speeches, saying, ‘This will be our campaign, what are your thoughts?'”
Asked if a line was not crossed, he says: “No. And I think hacking into someone’s phone and laying bare their life is a terrible thing, a criminal thing. If my phone were hacked and my correspondence published, I would go after everyone who did it.
“I very much hope that no one’s phone is hacked in these elections, from a chief of staff to a campaign head or a party chief, but if it happens I promise you one thing… From the Arab parties to the Haredi parties, from [Gadi] Eisenkot to [Itamar] Ben Gvir, similar chats of mine will be found with anyone who is hacked, if not identical or even mor far-reaching.”
The Times of Israel Community.