Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Haaretz investigation claiming that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed warned him days before the October 7th massacre. Following the publication, Netanyahu instructed his attorneys to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz, journalist Shelly Eldar and other parties involved in the report.
In a statement titled “Lies manufactured by ‘Haaretz,’" Netanyahu’s office said "Contrary to what was alleged, from the beginning of September until October 7, no conversation took place between the prime minister and the president of the United Arab Emirates."
According to Netanyahu, the Prime Minister’s Office, National Security Council and Military Secretariat examined his call records for the period in question and found no record of a conversation with the UAE president.
“As a rule, political conversations between the prime minister and the UAE president take place only in the Prime Minister’s Office, via the UAE representative who arrives at the office with a special encrypted phone. All of these conversations are documented," the statement said.
Haaretz responded: “We stand behind the publication."
Netanyahu also addressed comments made by Eldar in an interview with Channel 12, arguing that the journalist had claimed the alleged warning was delivered through the UAE representative at the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Following in-depth checks carried out not only in the prime minister’s call log, but also in documentation of entries into the Prime Minister’s Office during this period, no entry appears of the UAE representative visiting the Prime Minister's Office. There is no way to enter the Prime Minister’s Office without documentation and registration by the security agencies in the facility."
Netanyahu also accused Eldar of falsely claiming that Egypt had warned him about a possible attack. According to the prime minister, that claim was already disproven at the beginning of the war. He further accused Haaretz of publishing the report for political purposes, calling it “a malicious fabrication with a clear political timing, as part of the left’s election campaign."
“There will be more such false allegations," Netanyahu said, adding that the report was intended “to distract attention from what the public already understands."
Netanyahu instead directed responsibility for the failure to prevent the October 7th massacre toward former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Herzi Halevi and former ISA director Ronen Bar.
“If instead of worrying about a miscalculation, they had instructed the IDF and ISA to preemptively take action ahead of the blow, and if they had updated me in time, the terrible massacre could have been prevented," he added.