Opposition Leaders Demand State Inquiry into Oct. 7 Failures

Leaders of Israel's "Change Camp" parties, including Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, issued a rare joint statement Tuesday demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7th by the next government. They asserted that the Israeli public deserves to know what happened before, during, and after the massacre, calling it a leadership obligation.

The statement specifically challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking, "Netanyahu, enough with the lies; the Israeli public is entitled to know: what did you know, and when did you know it?" This demand follows a report from a book by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, alleging that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu a week and a half before October 7th about Yahya Sinwar's intentions to cause an "earthquake" in Israel. The opposition leaders stated this "shattering revelation" necessitates an immediate and in-depth investigation, adding to previous reports of Netanyahu's failures and dysfunction, and reinforcing their view that he is fighting to prevent the establishment of a state inquiry to hide the truth.

The four politicians attacked Netanyahu and his associates for allegedly spreading "false conspiracy theories" and attempting to shift blame to the security establishment. They characterized this as arrogance, a breach of public trust, and extreme dereliction of duty. They pledged that if they form the next government, they will immediately establish a state commission to investigate the failures leading to the October 7th debacle, uncover the truth, and ensure such a disaster never recurs, stating Netanyahu and his partners are unfit to continue in office.

The report in question, from the book "Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment," claims Netanyahu received a direct warning from Sinwar about a planned operation a week and a half before the attack. Eldar also cited a report from Yediot Ahronot journalist Smadar Peri, suggesting Egypt also warned Netanyahu of "something formidable" days before the massacre. According to Eldar, Sinwar used the term "earthquake" in a message conveyed through a Fatah operative to an advisor to the UAE president. The report further details that on September 15th, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar received this information and passed it to Netanyahu. Bin Zayed reportedly called Netanyahu via a special app a week and a half later to confirm he had received the warning. During that call, Netanyahu allegedly downplayed the threat, suggesting any issue would be in the West Bank, and did not update the then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, or Mossad chief David Barnea.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a response calling the report "an absolute lie," stating Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president during the period in question nor receive any warning. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated they were not updated about the warning from the UAE president.