Netanyahu Sues Haaretz Over 'Wicked Fabrication' Regarding UAE President Call

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties for allegedly fabricating a false story about him. The lawsuit stems from a report claiming Netanyahu spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates between September and October 7, 2023, during which the UAE president allegedly warned him of an impending attack. Netanyahu's office, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretary's office have thoroughly reviewed the Prime Minister's call logs for that period and found no record of such a conversation.

According to the Prime Minister's office, policy-related calls with the UAE President are exclusively conducted in the Prime Minister's office via a special encrypted device brought by the UAE representative, and all such calls are documented. Eldar himself stated in a Channel 12 interview that the alleged conversation, during which the warning was supposedly given, took place in this manner. However, a detailed examination of both the Prime Minister's call logs and entry records for his office during that time revealed no entry by the UAE representative. The Prime Minister's office emphasized that entry into the office is impossible without security documentation and registration.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister's office stated that Eldar also falsely claimed Egypt had warned Netanyahu of a potential attack, a claim that was reportedly debunked earlier in the war. Netanyahu's office characterized the report as a "wicked fabrication with clear political timing" and part of a "left-wing election campaign," predicting further false accusations. The office asserted that this narrative aims to distract from the understanding that, according to the Prime Minister, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had seen numerous warning signs hours before the October 7th attack. The statement concluded that if they had acted preemptively by directing the IDF, Shin Bet, and emergency response teams, and had updated Netanyahu in a timely manner, the "terrible massacre" could have been prevented.