Bennett Accuses Netanyahu of Ignoring UAE Warning Before October 7

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored explicit warnings from the UAE president and other officials in the days leading up to the October 7th Hamas attacks, thereby "arrogantly leading us to the greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel." Bennett's remarks follow a report in the Haaretz newspaper alleging that Netanyahu received a direct warning from the UAE president prior to the massacre but did not update security officials.

Bennett claimed to know that Netanyahu received warnings from Egyptian military official Abbas Kamel and the then-UAE president, Mohammed bin Zayed, and that he "ignored it." Bennett asserted that Netanyahu was "so deeply immersed in his conception that Hamas is an asset, and in his communication with Sinwar and with Qatar, that he ignored all the warnings. Netanyahu received the warnings and did nothing. He bears direct responsibility for the disaster."

The Prime Minister's Office, in response to the Haaretz report, issued a statement calling the allegations a "complete lie." The statement asserted that Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president during the relevant period and received no warning from him. The article also notes that Netanyahu spoke with the IDF Chief of Staff on the morning of October 7th, three hours after the Hamas assault began. Intelligence warnings from the IDF's Directorate of Military Intelligence to Netanyahu between March and July 2023 are also mentioned in the context of the article.