Haaretz Rejects Netanyahu's Lawsuit Threat Over Oct. 7 Warning Report

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's threat to sue over a report alleging he received a warning from the UAE president about Hamas's planned attack on October 7. Haaretz stated it will not be silenced by the prime minister's attempts to intimidate journalists and is committed to pursuing the truth in court.

In a letter to Netanyahu's attorney, Haaretz rejected the threat of legal action against the newspaper and its journalists, Shlomi Eldar and Rut Yuval. The newspaper asserted that its report, detailing a warning from the UAE president and Abu Dhabi's emir ten days before the October 7 massacre, was the result of extensive journalistic investigation based on multiple sources.

Haaretz emphasized the exceptional public importance of the story, noting that the circumstances surrounding warnings before the "Black Saturday" events and the response to them have been subjects of public discussion for approximately three years. The newspaper's lawyers argued that Netanyahu's demands for the article's removal, an apology, and NIS 1 million in compensation, along with a threat of a lawsuit exceeding NIS 2.5 million, represent an attempt to pressure the editorial board and stifle journalistic criticism.

Earlier reports indicated that the publication of the investigation, which claimed Netanyahu was warned in September 2023 via the UAE about Hamas's large-scale attack preparations for October 7, did not come as a significant surprise.