Prime Minister Netanyahu's office insisted Wednesday that he did not speak with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, pushing back against a Haaretz investigation that alleged a warning call. Haaretz responded to a reported lawsuit threat by stating it stands behind its publication.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his office continued to deny on Wednesday that he received a warning call from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, pushing back against a Haaretz investigation. The Prime Minister's Office first denied the report on Tuesday, calling it an 'absolute lie.' On Wednesday, the PMO reiterated the denial, and Netanyahu posted on X that he instructed his lawyers to file a defamation suit against Haaretz and journalist Shlomi Eldar, calling the allegation a 'fabricated lie.' Haaretz responded by stating it stands behind its publication.
A senior source in Netanyahu's circle told journalist Mendy Asraf that a review of call logs showed the last conversation between Netanyahu and MBZ took place in early 2023, and the next occurred a week after the Oct. 7 massacre — contradicting the Haaretz claim of a warning call ten days before the attack. The PMO also noted that all diplomatic calls with the UAE president are conducted through an encrypted device brought by an Emirati representative to the Prime Minister's Office, and that entry records show no such visit during the relevant period.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday, the Biden administration was unaware of any concrete advance warning from the UAE before Oct. 7, according to i24NEWS. UAE sources have declined to confirm or deny the reports, citing the confidentiality of the president's personal conversations.
7 developments
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake