Netanyahu Faces Backloss Over UAE Warning Report
Sandego.net – Netanyahu faces backlash over report that the UAE president phoned him roughly ten days before the October 7 Hamas assault, alerting him to a large-scale operation in Gaza. The allegation, sourced from research for an upcoming book by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval and published in Haaretz, sent shockwaves through Israeli politics on Tuesday. The Prime Minister’s Office moved quickly to dismiss the story, calling it an “absolute lie” and stating flatly that no such conversation took place and no warning was received.
Opposition Unites in Rare Joint Demand
Four opposition leaders — Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan — set aside their usual rivalries to issue a single communiqué calling for “an immediate and thorough investigation” into what they framed as the prime minister’s “failures and malfunctioning.” The coordinated move carried extra weight because it landed with Israel’s general election fewer than sixty days away, when accountability for the deadliest single-day attack in Israeli history — more than 1,200 killed and over 250 taken hostage — has become the campaign’s central question.
“The Israeli public is entitled to know: What did Netanyahu know, when did he know, why he didn’t update the security establishment, and why he didn’t act to protect Israeli civilians?”
Nearly three years after the massacre, the prime minister has still declined calls from bereaved families and survivors to convene an independent commission of inquiry. His inner circle has instead leaned on the narrative that senior security chiefs failed to rouse him the night before the attack despite signs a Hamas offensive was imminent.
What the Alleged Call Supposedly Covered
The Haaretz account described a conversation lasting approximately forty-five minutes in which Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed relayed a message from Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar, the report said, had conveyed the warning through a Palestinian mediator in mid-September 2023, using the language of an impending “earthquake” to signal that a major operation capable of producing significant bloodshed and regional destabilization was being planned. Netanyahu reportedly responded “relatively calmly,” reassuring the UAE president that Israel stood ready for any scenario. No independent confirmation from the UAE Foreign Ministry had been obtained at the time of publication.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a leading challenger, told followers on X that the report is “true” and that dismissing advance warnings constitutes “criminal negligence.” His political ally Yair Lapid noted that he himself had publicly cautioned about an impending strike before October 7, as had senior Israeli security figures and Egyptian counterparts.
“If Netanyahu had fulfilled his role, the massacre would have been prevented,” Lapid said in a written statement.
Eisenkot, currently polling as the strongest alternative candidate, used the episode to renew his pledge to establish a state commission of inquiry if elected, describing the account as proof that the prime minister “led Israel blindly” into the failures of October 7.
A Pattern of Outlasted Commanders
The allegation sharpens an uncomfortable arithmetic surrounding the tenure. Since October 7, virtually every principal figure in Israel’s top security hierarchy that day — the defense minister, the military chief of staff, and the heads of military intelligence, the Mossad, and the Shin Bet — has resigned, been dismissed, or completed a term. The prime minister remains in office, and rivals argue that his persistence while every subordinate has been replaced underscores a pattern of insulating himself from accountability.
The political temperature rose further last month when Sara Netanyahu, in an interview on the pro-government Channel 14, suggested that Yair Golan — a retired major general and leader of the left-wing Democrats party who independently drove to the Gaza border on the morning of the attack — had been briefed in advance, adding another layer to the dispute over who knew what and when.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the alleged UAE-to-Israel call made? According to the Haaretz report, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed phoned Netanyahu approximately ten days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault.
Did the Prime Minister’s Office confirm the call? No. The PMO branded the account an “absolute lie” and stated that no conversation with the UAE president took place during the period in question.
Which opposition leaders issued the joint statement? Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan jointly demanded an immediate and thorough investigation.
How many people were killed on October 7? More than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 were taken hostage in what is considered the deadliest single-day attack in Israeli history.
Has an independent commission of inquiry been established? As of the time of reporting, no independent commission has been convened, despite repeated calls from bereaved families and survivors.
