Netanyahu's Chief of Staff Accused of Falsifying Protocols to Alter Historical Narrative

New revelations in the investigation into the falsification of protocols in the Prime Minister's Office, involving Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, challenge his claim of a "mistake correction." Law enforcement officials believe the aim was to create an "updated" historical narrative suggesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately understood the Hamas attack and issued directives from its outset. However, the reality appears different. At 6:29 AM on October 7th, Netanyahu reacted with surprise, asking "Why are they shooting?" indicating he still believed Hamas would not initiate a surprise attack. This was during a WhatsApp conversation with his Military Secretary, Avi Gil, which was not recorded.

This reaction aligns with many in the security establishment who shared the misconception that Hamas would not attack proactively. Eleven minutes later, in a call on the red phone, Netanyahu, having received information about the surprise attack, was more decisive and issued operational orders. In January 2024, Braverman allegedly approached a stenographer in the Prime Minister's Office and manually altered the time of the second call to 6:29 AM. Had this been accepted, it could have supported the argument that only one call occurred, that Netanyahu issued directives from the start, and that he did not ask "Why are they shooting?"

Evidence from the case file suggests Braverman reviewed a stenogram from 6:40 AM and repeatedly commented, "How sharp he is." He then proceeded to change the call's time. Law enforcement estimates this indicates an intent to alter the narrative, specifically to counter claims of a less decisive earlier conversation and to bolster the idea that "if he had been woken up, everything would have looked different." The stenographer reportedly told Braverman he was not permitted to review or alter stenograms, especially after a directive from Deputy Attorney General Gila Limon in the preceding months concerning similar material collection. Braverman allegedly made the change in January 2024, a time with no apparent urgency.

The case, transferred to the Tax and Economic Prosecution in May 2024, remains unresolved. Braverman maintains it was a good-faith correction of an error, but investigators believe the findings contradict this. Braverman claimed he knew the Prime Minister spoke with the Military Secretary at 6:29 AM because he spoke with the secretary afterward, leading him to believe the 6:40 AM call recorded on the computer was actually the 6:29 AM call. A statement from Braverman's side called the situation "unbelievable folly," asserting he learned of the 6:29 AM call from the Military Secretary at 6:33 AM, information he did not initially provide to the police until investigators were shown it.