Key facts
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suing Haaretz newspaper over a report alleging a warning from the UAE president before the Oct. 7 attacks.
- The report claims UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Netanyahu of a major Hamas operation in late September 2023.
- Netanyahu's office denied the report, calling it a "sinister plot" and foreign interference.
- Haaretz stated its report is based on extensive research and aims to expose information of public importance.
- The UAE confirmed open communication lines with Israel and the sharing of relevant intelligence.
- Israeli opposition leaders called for an investigation into the matter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed lawyers to begin defamation proceedings against the newspaper Haaretz over a report alleging that the leader of the United Arab Emirates warned him of an impending Hamas operation just days before the October 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu's office has vehemently denied the report, labeling it a "sinister plot" and accusing Haaretz of foreign interference in Israel's upcoming elections.
Haaretz, citing three "foreign senior sources" and a Palestinian adviser, published extracts from a book suggesting that UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a phone call with Netanyahu in late September 2023. During this call, the report claims, Netanyahu was explicitly warned that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation described as an "earthquake." The report also stated that the Emirati leader expressed concern about the potential for bloodshed and regional destabilization, and later relayed the conversation to then-CIA Director William J. Burns. According to Haaretz, Netanyahu reacted with relative calm, assessing Hamas intended to operate in the West Bank and reassuring bin Zayed that Israel was prepared.
Netanyahu's office stated, "no warning was given to the prime minister from the United Arab Emirates before 7 October." Haaretz, a known critic of the prime minister, has stood by its reporting, asserting its "sole purpose is to silence journalistic criticism" and that the story is the "product of an in-depth journalistic investigations and is based on sources pertaining to an issue of paramount public importance."
The report emerges as Israel's general election campaign heats up, with polls on October 27 widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership. Critics have accused Netanyahu of not acting quickly enough after the October 7 attacks and have resisted an independent public inquiry. This report is expected to fuel further suspicions.
The UAE's ministry of foreign affairs, while not specifically addressing the alleged conversation, issued a statement emphasizing ongoing open communication and the sharing of relevant intelligence between the two countries since their relationship began over five years ago. Four of Israel's main opposition leaders issued a joint statement demanding an investigation and declaring Netanyahu and his government "unfit to continue in office."