Is the 'Catargate' affair on the verge of a change of direction? According to a report today (Thursday) in Haaretz, the General Security Service tends to downplay the seriousness of the offenses attributed to the suspects in the affair - and the emerging opinion is expected to determine that the actions of those involved did not harm state security.
At the center of the affair are the suspicions against Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, who allegedly worked with elements linked to Qatar during their tenure at the bureau during the Iron Swords War.
According to the report, the Shin Bet's opinion - intended to decide whether this is a crime of contact with a foreign agent - may now lead to a significant softening, so that the security suspicions will be replaced with crimes of integrity, including fraud and breach of trust.
Law enforcement sources were quoted as saying that the updated version of the opinion significantly lightened the security implications of the case. "They've downgraded the security implications by several notches," said a senior official.
It should be noted that at this stage the final opinion has not yet been submitted, and the decision regarding the charges will be made by the State Attorney's Office. If the emerging position is indeed accepted, it is possible that the security charges will be removed, and the proceedings will focus solely on offenses related to moral integrity.
