Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he has instructed his legal team to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz newspaper, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties over a published report claiming the president of the United Arab Emirates warned him ahead of the October 7 Hamas attack.
In a statement titled "Lies Made by Haaretz," Netanyahu rejected the allegation and said an internal review conducted by his office found no documentation of any such conversation. "Contrary to what was claimed, from the beginning of September until October 7, no phone call took place between the prime minister and the president of the United Arab Emirates," the statement said.
According to the announcement, Netanyahu's office, the Foreign Ministry, and the military secretariat reviewed the prime minister's call logs for the relevant period and found no record of such a conversation. The statement further explained that policy discussions between Netanyahu and the Emirati president are conducted through an Emirati representative who arrives at the office with a special encrypted device, and that these conversations are documented.
Netanyahu's office also addressed comments made by Eldar in an interview with Channel 12, in which he reportedly described how the alleged warning call was conducted. However, according to the prime minister's statement, a review of entry logs to the office showed no record of an Emirati representative entering during the period in question.
"There is no possibility of entering the prime minister's office without documentation and registration by security personnel at the facility," the statement read.
Netanyahu also challenged another claim attributed to Eldar - that Egypt had warned him of a possible attack - asserting that this allegation had already been debunked at the start of the war.
The prime minister sharply criticized the publication, calling it "a malicious fabrication with clear political timing." He characterized it as part of "the left's election campaign."
Netanyahu addressed the handling of intelligence before the October 7 attack and placed responsibility on former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. He claimed both saw warning signs hours before the attack but failed to update him in time. Had they instructed the IDF, Shin Bet, and standby units to prepare in advance, he said, "the terrible massacre could have been prevented."
Haaretz responded: "We stand behind the publication."
