Netanyahu Sues Haaretz Over Report Claiming UAE Warning on Oct. 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties over a report alleging he received a direct warning from the President of the United Arab Emirates about a planned Hamas operation by Yahya Sinwar a week and a half before the October 7th massacre. The Prime Minister's office stated that no conversation took place between Netanyahu and the UAE President between early September 2023 and October 7th, and that checks of call logs by the Prime Minister's office, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretariat found no record of such a call.

On the television program 'The Patriots' on Channel 14, panelist Guy Maroz expressed his strong reaction to the report, stating that if true, "hundreds of thousands of people died because the Shin Bet and the army failed, and it's possible the Prime Minister failed on that day." He added that if the report is accurate, Netanyahu should resign immediately. Another panelist, Yotam Zimri, dismissed the report, saying, "I dismiss the publication." Maroz countered that Eldar is a serious journalist who claims to have evidence, including recordings, and that the UAE has not denied the report, calling their statement of non-involvement "very problematic."

Netanyahu's office issued a statement calling the report a "wicked fabrication with a clear political timing, as part of the left's election campaign." They reiterated that no conversation occurred and that checks of Netanyahu's call logs, as well as entry logs to his office, showed no record of a UAE representative visiting or communicating during that period. The statement also accused Eldar of lying about Egypt warning Netanyahu, a claim previously refuted. The Prime Minister's office asserted that the report aims to distract from the understanding that the heads of the Shin Bet and IDF saw the signs of attack hours before, and that if they had acted and informed the Prime Minister, the massacre could have been prevented.