The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court ordered KAN 11 journalist Omri Assenheim to hand over the full raw footage of his televised interview with former Prime Minister’s Office spokesman Eli Feldstein, ruling that the material is essential to two ongoing criminal investigations, including the probe into the leak of a classified IDF document to the German newspaper Bild.
In a decision dated Sunday, Magistrate’s Court President Judge Menachem Mizrahi accepted requests by Israel Police and Netanyahu adviser Yonatan Urich, instructing that the unedited interview materials be transferred to police by Wednesday.
The ruling relates to two investigations in which Urich is a suspect: The Bild document leak affair and a separate probe linked to a late-night meeting at the Kirya military headquarters.
Mizrahi rejected arguments that the broadcast interview itself sufficed, emphasizing the need for the “gross” material underlying the edited version aired to the public. He wrote that the raw footage is necessary to examine context, sequencing, omissions, and the precise circumstances in which Feldstein’s statements were made.
The decision notes that Feldstein has provided “different and changing versions” in police questioning and that the interview footage could help investigators assess contradictions between his televised remarks and other evidence gathered in the case.
Mizrahi also cited a classified document dated January 15, stating that it stands in direct contradiction to Feldstein’s account as presented in the interview. According to the ruling, Feldstein claimed on air that he leaked the document to Bild on Urich’s instruction and with the prime minister’s knowledge or consent – a version the judge said does not align with the totality of the evidence.
The court criticized shortcomings in the investigation to date, noting that Feldstein was not confronted during his January 11 police statement with the interview excerpts relevant to the Bild affair. A police representative confirmed this during the hearing, reinforcing the judge’s conclusion that access to the raw material is now necessary.
KAN and Assenheim argued that the raw footage is protected by journalistic privilege and that compelling its disclosure would harm press freedom, investigative journalism, and source protection.
Mizrahi acknowledged the importance of a free press but ruled that journalistic privilege is not absolute. He found that in this case, the material is relevant, vital to the investigations, and cannot be obtained by alternative means – justifying an exception.
Judge rejects press freedom claims in KAN case
The judge rejected claims that the order would have a chilling effect on journalism, stressing that Feldstein spoke openly, was represented by counsel, and had been warned that his remarks could lead to renewed criminal scrutiny. He added that discouraging inaccurate or misleading public versions by suspects would not undermine the public interest.
Although Urich requested access to the footage, Mizrahi ruled that the materials should be transferred solely to police investigators, citing the impropriety of providing raw evidence directly to a suspect during an active probe.
He noted that, should indictments be filed, the defense would be entitled to receive the materials through standard disclosure procedures.
The Bild leak investigation concerns the unauthorized disclosure, in September 2024, of a classified IDF document dealing with internal assessments related to the conflict and hostage negotiations. The leak, published abroad while fighting was ongoing, triggered alarm within the security establishment and led police to examine whether sensitive material was transferred from within the Prime Minister’s Office or its immediate circle.
The affair has unfolded alongside the so-called “Qatargate” investigation, in which probes alleged undisclosed ties between individuals close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari interests. While the cases are formally separate, both focus on questions of influence, messaging, and the handling of sensitive information during wartime, and both have placed senior advisers to the prime minister under scrutiny.
Feldstein became a central figure after asserting in a televised interview that he acted on instructions to leak the document, claims denied by the Prime Minister’s Office and by Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman. Police have confirmed that Feldstein does not have – and never had – a state witness agreement, despite efforts to reach one.
The judge did not rule on whether the decision could be appealed, leaving that issue open for a higher court.