The Minister for Strategic Affairs said at the MEAD Conference that he was involved in all conversations between the Prime Minister and the UAE President, and that the specific call reported by Haaretz 'simply did not take place,' calling it a 'fabricated story.' The denial was reported by Israel Hayom's Shirit Avitan Cohen.
At the MEAD Conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs categorically denied the existence of a reported phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed in the days before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
'In all the conversations between the PM and bin Zayed, I was involved in the details or was on the line during the conversation itself, and this conversation did not take place,' the minister said. 'So it's basically fiction. Simply an invented story.'
The denial marks the first time a senior Israeli official with direct knowledge of the prime minister's communications has publicly addressed the claim. It follows a September 8 Haaretz investigation alleging that Netanyahu received and concealed a warning from bin Zayed about an impending major Hamas operation, and subsequent reports that UAE sources declined to confirm or deny the call.
The Prime Minister's Office previously called the Haaretz story an 'absolute lie.' The minister's statement, reported by Israel Hayom journalist Shirit Avitan Cohen, reinforces the official denial from a cabinet member who asserts he was personally involved in Netanyahu's conversations with the Emirati leader.
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