Israeli Journalist Slams Haaretz Report on Pre-Oct. 7 Warning to Netanyahu
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Israeli journalist Avishai Grinzaig has publicly attacked a Haaretz report claiming Prime Minister Netanyahu was warned of the October 7 attack by the UAE president, calling it a "journalistic duck." The Haaretz report, citing sources, alleged Netanyahu downplayed the warning, a claim denied by the President's Residence regarding similar alleged conversations involving President Herzog.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Journalist Avishai Grinzaig called a Haaretz report on a pre-Oct. 7 warning a "journalistic duck."
- Haaretz reported UAE President warned Netanyahu of Hamas attack, which Netanyahu allegedly downplayed.
- Grinzaig criticized Haaretz for relying on a previously retracted report by Smadar Peri.
- The President's Residence denied reports of Herzog being warned about security issues by the UAE president.
Avishai Grinzaig, an Israeli journalist, has strongly criticized a Haaretz report alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warning from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan about an impending Hamas attack before October 7. Grinzaig dismissed the report by journalist Shlomi Eldar as a "journalistic duck" lacking internal logic.
According to the Haaretz report, Al Nahyan urgently contacted Netanyahu about a week and a half before October 7, warning of a large-scale military operation planned by Yahya Sinwar. The report further claimed that in a late September 2023 phone call, the UAE president cautioned that an attack could lead to heavy bloodshed, destabilize the region, and harm the Abraham Accords. Haaretz stated that Netanyahu assessed Hamas's intentions as focused on the West Bank and did not relay the conversation's content to security officials.
Grinzaig specifically took issue with Eldar's reliance on an earlier report by journalist Smadar Peri, published on October 9, 2023. Peri had initially reported that Egypt's intelligence minister had warned Netanyahu ten days before the attack about "something unusual, a formidable operation." However, Peri later clarified that the report was based on a single source and that she realized it was not a conversation with Netanyahu but with an Israeli intelligence official or someone in the Prime Minister's office. Grinzaig criticized Eldar's report for including a quote from this alleged conversation, even though Peri herself had retracted the claim of a direct conversation between the Egyptian minister and Netanyahu.
The Haaretz report also mentioned alleged conversations between Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Al Nahyan, suggesting the UAE president shared warnings with Herzog, who reportedly felt "the situation was about to explode." The President's Residence has denied this, stating that Herzog's conversations with Al Nahyan in the months preceding October 7 did not concern security matters, Hamas, or Sinwar, but rather social issues and bilateral relations. The President's Residence emphasized that Herzog was unaware of any such alleged warning.
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