Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to initiate a defamation lawsuit against the daily Haaretz, which claims that the President of the United Arab Emirates warned him of an imminent Hamas attack a few days before October 7, 2023.
According to excerpts from a book published by Haaretz, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reportedly made a phone call to Netanyahu in September 2023 to alert him that Yahya Sinwar, then head of Hamas in Gaza, was preparing a large-scale operation he himself described as an « earthquake. » To ensure the confidentiality of the exchange, a representative of the Emirati embassy is said to have gone to the Prime Minister’s office with a special secure phone.
According to the newspaper, Netanyahu reacted « with relative calm, » believing that Hamas was targeting the West Bank instead and assuring his interlocutor that Israel was « ready for any scenario. » Sheikh Mohammed then reportedly relayed this conversation to former CIA director William J. Burns. Haaretz also specifies that Netanyahu did not inform Shin Bet officials, Mossad, or the army chief of staff about this meeting.
The Prime Minister’s office categorically denies: « No warning was transmitted to the Prime Minister by the United Arab Emirates before October 7, » calling the article a « sinister conspiracy. » Netanyahu also stated on X that the publication was part of a « clear political timetable, within the framework of the left-wing election campaign. »
Haaretz’s lawyers rejected the threat of legal action, stating that Netanyahu’s sole objective is to « silence journalistic criticism. » They defended their work as « the product of thorough journalistic investigation, based on sources related to a matter of paramount public importance. » The newspaper, historically critical of the Prime Minister, stands by all its information.
The United Arab Emirates have not denied that this conversation took place. Their Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that communication channels between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv have been « open and direct for more than five years » and that « all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the concerned entities. »
This matter breaks out just weeks before the Israeli legislative elections on October 27, widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s record. Four opposition leaders, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, issued a joint statement demanding an investigation and stating that Netanyahu and his allies « are not fit to continue exercising their functions. »
On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas fighters crossed the security barrier around Gaza to attack Israeli communities, military bases, and a music festival. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza during which at least 73,670 people were killed, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
