Conflicting Accounts Emerge Over Netanyahu's Alleged Warning from UAE President

New details have surfaced regarding what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew before the October 7th Hamas attacks, following a report in "Haaretz" alleging that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu of significant Hamas plans. According to Kan News, bin Zayed told CIA Director Bill Burns months after the attacks that during a pre-attack conversation with Netanyahu, he issued a general warning about potential "violent escalation" with Palestinians. Bin Zayed reportedly shared this information with senior figures in Israel and the U.S., though the exact timing of the call remains unclear. The UAE president characterized the warning as a general concern about the Palestinian situation in the West Bank and Gaza, not a specific alert about an impending attack.

However, a completely opposing account has emerged from former Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who denies the conversation between Netanyahu and bin Zayed ever took place. Speaking at the MEAD conference in Washington, Dermer stated, "Did a conversation take place? No. If a conversation had taken place, I would have been in it, because one of the tasks assigned to me was to expand the Abraham Accords and strengthen the partnership with the UAE." He dismissed the reports as a "fabrication" and an "invented story," asserting that both the UAE and Israel are clear it did not happen.

Adding to the confusion, Channel 13 reported that former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed in private conversations to have been directly informed by Mohammed bin Zayed about the warning call to Netanyahu. Bennett reportedly stated that bin Zayed asked for the conversation not to be discussed. Bennett's office issued a statement calling the report "false" and declining to comment on his conversations with leaders.

Conversely, an Emirati source told Channel 13 a strong rebuttal to the Israeli denials, calling Netanyahu's denial "ridiculous." The source insisted that "many messages were conveyed that Sinwar was about to do 'something different.'"