Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Newspaper Over 'Wicked Plot' 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. According to the report, the UAE President warned that Yahya Sinwar was preparing a significant move against Israel that could lead to bloodshed and regional instability.

Netanyahu vehemently denied the report, calling it a "wicked plot" 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. His office confirmed that checks of the Prime Minister's schedule and entry logs for his office found no record of such a meeting or communication with the UAE President or his representative during that period.

Haaretz had reported that the UAE President, Mohammed bin Zayed, had passed on the warning about Sinwar's intentions. 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.