Netanyahu looks to sue Haaretz for defamation over UAE warning report, denies any pre-Oct. 7 call
The Prime Minister's Office says a review of Netanyahu's call log and entry records found no trace of a conversation with bin Zayed or a visit by an Emirati representative during the relevant period
The Prime Minister's Office said Tuesday that Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties over a report alleging that the president of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, warned him before October 7. The office said no conversation took place between Netanyahu and the UAE president from the start of September through October 7, saying the Prime Minister's Office, National Security Council, and Military Secretariat examined Netanyahu's call log and found no trace of it.
According to the statement, such calls are conducted only through an Emirati representative bringing an encrypted device to the Prime Minister's Office, with all conversations recorded, and a review of entry records showed no such representative entered the office during the period in question, adding that entry without documentation is not possible. The statement argued the real story is that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi saw warning signs hours before the attack and could have prevented it had they acted and informed Netanyahu in time.
Haaretz said it stands behind its report.
Confirming Haaretz's story, a senior Middle East intelligence source familiar with the secret channel between the UAE and Israel confirmed to Ynet that the Emirates "gave Israel a warning about the possibility of significant and imminent action by Hamas against it" before October 7, 2023. The source said the information came from a "very reliable" source, that it was treated "very seriously" in Abu Dhabi, and that it indicated an operation could happen "very soon," though without a specific date.
The source declined to say whether the intelligence was attributed to Yahya Sinwar personally, how it was transmitted to Israel, or whether Mohamed bin Zayed discussed it directly with Netanyahu in a phone call, citing the need to protect ongoing discreet channels between the two leaders. According to Ynet, such calls were historically conducted using a secure phone that an Emirati intelligence official would bring to the Prime Minister's Office and destroy immediately afterward.
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Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has publicly confirmed that the phone call reported by Haaretz between Netanyahu and bin Zayed took place, though he has not disclosed how he knows this.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to confirm or deny the Haaretz report, saying it "does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders," while stating that "when necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities."
Netanyahu's office called the report "an absolute lie," saying he "did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the relevant period and did not receive any warning from him." Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords and have maintained direct communication since.