JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to sue the newspaper Haaretz and three of its journalists for more than 2.5 million shekels, or roughly $800,000, over a report alleging that he was personally warned by the president of the United Arab Emirates about plans by Hamas to launch a major attack against Israel days before Oct. 7, 2023.
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Netanyahu’s attorneys sent a formal notice Wednesday to Haaretz and journalists Shlomi Eldar, Ruth Yuval and Uri Misgav, demanding that the report be removed from the newspaper’s website and social-media accounts and that the paper publish a prominent retraction and apology, according to a report by Channel 14.
The letter also demands 1 million shekels, roughly $300,000, as an out-of-court settlement. The newspaper and journalists were given 72 hours to comply. If they do not, Netanyahu says he will file a civil defamation lawsuit seeking at least 2.5 million shekels, in addition to legal fees and expenses.
Netanyahu has categorically denied the central allegation. Through his attorney, Uriel Nizri, Netanyahu described the report as an “absolute fabrication” and a malicious falsehood. His office has said that Netanyahu did not receive such a warning from either the UAE or Egypt and did not have the alleged conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to a statement cited by Israeli media, Netanyahu’s office, the National Security Council and his military secretary reviewed records of the prime minister’s calls and found no record of a conversation between Netanyahu and bin Zayed between the beginning of September 2023 and the Oct. 7 attack.
The dispute stems from an investigation published Tuesday by Haaretz based on reporting by Eldar and Yuval for their forthcoming book, Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment.
According to the investigation, bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu by phone for about 45 minutes in late September 2023, roughly 10 days before Hamas launched its surprise attack.
The Emirati leader allegedly warned Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel and urged him to take the threat seriously. According to the report, bin Zayed warned that an attack could cause extensive bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.
The report further alleges that Netanyahu reacted calmly and told bin Zayed that Israel believed Hamas was more likely to launch an operation in Judea and Samaria. It says Netanyahu assured the Emirati leader that Israel was prepared for any scenario.
Most significantly, the investigation alleges that Netanyahu did not pass the warning to the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad or the Israel Defense Forces.
The report was based, according to Haaretz, on dozens of sources in Israel and abroad, including senior officials, as well as recordings, internal documents and correspondence. Other international news organizations, including The Associated Press, have reported the existence of the Haaretz investigation but have not independently established that the alleged conversation took place.
The allegations have caused a new political storm in Israel, where the government’s handling of the intelligence failures preceding the Oct. 7 attack remains one of the country’s most contentious issues.
Opposition leaders have called for an independent investigation into what Netanyahu knew before the attack and whether warnings were adequately passed to Israel’s security establishment. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have been among those demanding answers. The controversy comes as Israel approaches another election campaign, making the question of Netanyahu’s personal responsibility for the failures surrounding Oct. 7 particularly politically sensitive.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault killed about 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. The attack triggered the war in Gaza and a broader regional conflict.
Netanyahu’s legal warning letter argues that the Haaretz report was not merely inaccurate but was deliberately published to damage the prime minister and improperly influence the outcome of Israel’s elections. His lawyers are demanding that Haaretz remove the article from all of its digital platforms, including the newspaper’s website and the social-media accounts of both the publication and the journalists. They are also demanding a prominent correction and denial on the newspaper’s front page and as the site’s main headline, with the wording subject to approval by Netanyahu’s attorneys.
If those demands are not met within 72 hours, the letter says, Netanyahu will proceed with a lawsuit seeking damages of no less than 2.5 million shekels.
It is well known that the young ladies watching the border reported suspicious activity. They were ignored by their superiors. Some even threatened to fire them if they brought it up again. They were the first to be killed.
Hmm. Two years later as Israel heads into super turbulent elections in October, Haaretz drops this bombshell. Sudden new information emerging or was this destructive tidbit stored until it could do most damage? And by the way, if Egypt shared a vague warning, what exactly should Israel have done? Shut down its airport, told everyone to stay away from malls, parks, shuls?