Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Newspaper Over 'Wicked Fabrication' Report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties. The legal action follows a Haaretz report claiming that the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conveyed a message to Netanyahu weeks before the October 7th Hamas attack. The reported message indicated that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing for a significant action against Israel.

Netanyahu vehemently denied the report, calling it a "wicked fabrication" with clear political timing, intended to harm him during an election campaign. He stated that no such conversation with the UAE president took place between early September and October 7th. According to Netanyahu's office, checks of the Prime Minister's schedule and entry logs for his office found no record of such a call or a meeting with an UAE representative during that period.

The original Haaretz report stated that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Netanyahu that Sinwar was planning a significant, potentially bloody, destabilizing move against Israel. Netanyahu's office had previously denied receiving any such warning from the UAE before October 7th.

The UAE issued a statement regarding the report, declining to confirm or deny the conversation. "The United Arab Emirates does not comment on media reports or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders," the statement read.