Israeli Journalist Questions Netanyahu's Defamation Suit Against Haaretz

Channel 12 journalist Yaron Avraham commented on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defamation lawsuit against the newspaper Haaretz, which was filed following a report that caused significant political and security repercussions. The Haaretz report alleged that Netanyahu had a conversation with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed before the October 7th Hamas attacks.

Netanyahu's office has vehemently denied this claim, stating, "Contrary to what was claimed, from the beginning of September until October 7th, no conversation took place between the Prime Minister and the President of the UAE." The Prime Minister's office, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretary reportedly "thoroughly checked the Prime Minister's call logs during these days, and found no trace of this."

Avraham expressed skepticism regarding the extensive checks conducted by Netanyahu's office. "Let's assume there was no such conversation and the Prime Minister is sure there wasn't, why check at all?" he questioned. "Why 'conduct a check of the records'? Why check at all who entered the Prime Minister's office that day? If the Prime Minister knows it's a lie, why are all these checks necessary?"

Avraham suggested that Netanyahu might be using procedural checks as a tactic. He believes the Haaretz reporters, Shlomi Elad and Ruth Yuval, have strong evidence for their report. "The lawsuit will be filed because Netanyahu is obligated to do so during an election period," Avraham speculated. "In my estimation, Netanyahu will drag it out. We shall see."