Diaspora Minister Chikli Slams Journalist Over Pre-Oct. 7 Warnings

Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli has publicly criticized journalist Shlomi Eldar, accusing him and others of distorting facts regarding early warnings before the October 7th Hamas attacks. Chikli, writing on his X account, called Eldar, whom he described as "Haniyeh's confidant," an "unreliable charlatan" for reporting on alleged warnings from senior Fatah officials about Hamas's intentions.

To support his claim that no concrete warning was received, Chikli quoted a Channel 12 interview with former senior Fatah official Soufian Abu Zaida. Abu Zaida stated that his focus was on the possibility of a soldier being kidnapped for negotiation purposes in the West Bank, and he did not anticipate the scale of the October 7th events. Chikli used this quote to argue that even Palestinian sources did not foresee Hamas's plan, thereby refuting criticism directed at the political leadership for allegedly ignoring warnings.

This is not the first time Chikli has been involved in a public dispute. He recently clashed with journalist Ben Caspit over allegations that Chikli had previously supported Mansour Abbas joining the government. Chikli explained that his view on Abbas changed after revelations about the "48 Association's" ties to Hamas, but Caspit rejected the explanation, recalling a deleted tweet where Chikli allegedly supported Naftali Bennett's government formation and accusing Chikli of changing his stance for personal gain.