Journalist Questions UAE Warning Narrative Against Netanyahu

Journalist Akiva Novik commented on a Haaretz report alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warning from the United Arab Emirates prior to the October 7th Hamas attack. Novik expressed skepticism about the report, stating, "There are several holes in this story." He questioned the specifics of the warning, what exactly was communicated to Netanyahu, and the intelligence shared with the Shin Bet. Novik noted the lack of clarity on how many such warnings a prime minister typically receives, their general nature, and the security establishment's knowledge on the eve of the attack.

Novik asserted that Netanyahu, like any prime minister and cabinet member, bears "absolute responsibility for Israel's security policy, for successes and failures, and for the army's readiness." He argued that attempts to diminish this responsibility are "enormous damage to the country." However, he also posed the question of whether different actions would have been taken in Gaza even if Netanyahu had relayed the entire conversation verbatim to all security officials. He cited Ofer Shelach, who expressed doubt on this matter, and Avishai Grinzaig, who wrote about the focus on the morning of the attack rather than long-term strategy.

Novik observed what he perceived as "excessive enthusiasm" for the story among Netanyahu's opponents, characterized by automatic reactions, baseless conspiracy theories, and exaggeration. He suggested this stems from a desire to dismantle the Likud party's defense that "Netanyahu was not woken up." Novik cautioned that in the fervor to debunk weak arguments, the story risks being inflated beyond its actual scope, potentially leading to a loss of credibility. He concluded that while he doesn't know the story's true magnitude, he suspects those amplifying it do not know either.