New Details Emerge on Netanyahu's Call with UAE Leader Before Oct. 7

New details have surfaced regarding a phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) in mid-September 2023, which may have contained a warning about an impending escalation in Gaza. According to the report, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar allegedly told an associate that Israelis should expect an "earthquake" and that he was preparing an "extraordinary and formidable surprise." This message was reportedly relayed through intermediaries to MBZ, who then passed it to Netanyahu on September 15, 2023, via the Shin Bet.

The Shin Bet's interpretation of the warning was that Sinwar believed he had a new bargaining chip, possibly related to the kidnapping of Israeli citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov in Iraq. However, the report suggests that Netanyahu, unlike his approach a decade prior when he reportedly reacted strongly to any threat, was deeply entrenched in a "conception" or flawed assumption. This was exacerbated by his focus on his government's judicial overhaul plans, leading him to dismiss warnings from security officials as attempts to distract him.

Unlike Egyptian warnings, which are described as frequent and sometimes baseless, MBZ is considered a pragmatic leader unlikely to issue false alarms. The article posits that if Netanyahu had taken the warning more seriously and alerted the security establishment, a more thorough investigation, potentially including direct communication with MBZ and his advisor Mohammed Dahlan, might have occurred.

This information, the report argues, could have contributed to a more stringent interpretation of the "weak signals" received on October 6, the day before the Hamas attack. The author concludes that Netanyahu, even more so than other security chiefs, was caught in this "conception." The report also notes that, based on numerous testimonies, Netanyahu was largely incapacitated in the days following the October 7th massacre.