Yonatan Urich, a close adviser and associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked ChatGPT to develop a strategic plan to improve Qatar's image in Israel and around the world. He also sought messaging that could help "whitewash Qatar," according to excerpts from his interrogation revealed Monday evening by Channel 12 News.
According to the report, Urich made several requests to ChatGPT in September 2024, nearly a year after the outbreak of the war, seeking ideas for a public relations campaign on behalf of Qatar, which hosts senior Hamas leaders.
During the interrogation, one investigator confronted Urich with the requests.
"The investigative material reveals your intentions and actions, including your requests to ChatGPT, which you used several times to ask it to develop a 'strategic plan to change global perceptions' regarding Qatar," the investigator said.
The investigator then cited another request in which Urich sought messaging tailored to different audiences.
"You requested additional ideas to improve the image of Qatar's prime minister and emir, as well as three key messages targeting Israeli citizens, Jewish communities around the world, and opinion leaders in the United States, which could help whitewash Qatar and improve its image," the investigator quoted from the request.
When asked to explain his interactions with ChatGPT, Urich claimed he did not remember the content of the requests and denied taking action to promote Qatar's interests in Israel.
Following Channel 12's publication of the exchanges, Urich responded in a post on social media, confirming that he had submitted the questions to ChatGPT but insisting that he had never used the responses.
"Everything that was published has been in the possession of numerous journalists for a long time, and they spoke with me about it. But none of them saw fit to report on my ChatGPT queries because I did nothing with them, as was also established during the investigation," he wrote.
Urich was arrested last year on suspicion of various offenses, including providing confidential information to the Bild newspaper and breach of trust in the “Qatar Gate" affair.
This past June, the Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Urich.
According to the indictment, Urich is accused of transmitting classified information with intent to harm state security, transmitting classified information, possessing classified information, and destroying evidence. The case has sparked broad public and political criticism, especially with the elections approaching.