Netanyahu Vows Defamation Lawsuit Over Egypt Warning Report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded angrily on Monday to a report claiming he received a warning from Egypt prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks. In a social media post, Netanyahu announced his intention to sue for defamation, citing an official Egyptian statement released after the massacre.

Netanyahu's office stated that the Prime Minister never meets or speaks with foreign intelligence chiefs without their Israeli counterparts present. The statement also referenced an Egyptian announcement from shortly after October 7th, which reportedly said that Netanyahu had not met or spoken with then-head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and that no Israeli intelligence official had conveyed an Egyptian warning to the Prime Minister.

Netanyahu's post accused the "left-wing media" of a "vile and false campaign" to shift blame for the failures of October 7th onto him, specifically targeting Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The Prime Minister's office alleged that Bar held numerous conversations with the then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva on the day of the attack, discussing warning signs. Despite this, the post claimed, Bar chose not to inform Netanyahu, warn emergency response teams and IDF forces, or evacuate the Nova music festival, instead sending only a small team, which the Prime Minister's office suggested indicated he knew of a real danger.

Furthermore, Netanyahu's post asserted that foreign and hostile entities, including Arab states, are behind these "false blood libels." The alleged motive is to topple Netanyahu's right-wing government and replace it with a left-wing government supported by Arab parties, which would then withdraw from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, and establish a Palestinian state. The post concluded by framing the upcoming election as a choice between the right-wing government or a Palestinian state.