Israel's Netanyahu to sue newspaper over claim UAE warned him of 7 October attack

What the report says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered lawyers to begin defamation proceedings against Haaretz over a report that said the United Arab Emirates privately warned him, before 7 October 2023, that Hamas was preparing a major attack. BBC World News reported that the claim appeared in book extracts published by Haaretz and was based on named and unnamed sources cited by the newspaper, which said it stood by its reporting.

According to the article, the alleged conversation took place in late September 2023 between Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Haaretz said the warning was passed through a secure phone arranged via the UAE embassy and later relayed by the Emirati leader to then-CIA director William J. Burns. Netanyahu’s office denied that any such warning was given and described the report as part of a broader political campaign.

The dispute comes as Israel enters an election period in which Netanyahu faces continued scrutiny over the failures surrounding the 7 October Hamas-led assault. The BBC noted that the attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to 251 hostages being taken to Gaza, while Israel’s military response has caused widespread devastation in Gaza, according to local health authorities. The report also added that opposition figures have renewed calls for an investigation into Netanyahu’s conduct before and after the attack.