Netanyahu Faces Sharp Criticism After Report of Receiving Warning Before October 7 Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced sharp political backlash on Tuesday following a report that the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, had warned him of a major Hamas operation days before the October 7, 2023 attack. The Prime Minister's office rejected the report, describing it as "lies," but with Israeli elections approaching next month, Netanyahu's opponents seized on the report as new evidence of what they termed a growing series of warnings that were ignored.

The four opposition leaders, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, issued a rare joint statement calling for an "immediate and comprehensive investigation" into "Netanyahu's failures and negligence." The statement read: "The Israeli people have the right to know: What did Netanyahu know, when did he know it, why did he not inform the security establishment, and why did he take no action to protect Israeli civilians?"

For his part, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that the report is "true," writing on his X platform account that Netanyahu's alleged disregard for the warnings amounts to "criminal negligence." Bennett's political ally, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, noted that he had publicly warned of an impending attack before it occurred, as did senior Israeli and Egyptian security officials.

Lapid added in a statement: "If Netanyahu had done his part, the massacre could have been prevented." The report, published in the newspaper "Haaretz," was based on findings from a forthcoming book by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval.

The report mentioned that the UAE President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, contacted Netanyahu about 10 days before the October 7 attack, warning him during a 45-minute call that Hamas leader in Gaza at the time, Yahya Sinwar, was planning a major move against Israel that could lead to bloodshed and destabilize the region. The report referenced a message conveyed by Sinwar to the UAE and Israel through a Palestinian intermediary in mid-September 2023, warning of an imminent "earthquake."

The Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu responded "with relative calm" to this information, confirming to the President of the UAE that Israel is prepared for any scenario. The Israeli Prime Minister's office strongly denied the accuracy of the report, stating that Netanyahu "did not speak with the President of the United Arab Emirates during the mentioned period, nor did he receive any warning from him."

Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement on Tuesday evening that "the government of the United Arab Emirates does not comment on what is published in the media regarding reports or speculations about conversations between government leaders." The UAE Foreign Ministry added in its statement: "Since October 7, the efforts of the United Arab Emirates have focused on de-escalation, enhancing regional stability, and reducing violence."

It continued: "Government entities in both the United Arab Emirates and Israel have maintained open and direct communication channels since the establishment of relations between the two countries over 5 years ago. When necessary, all relevant intelligence information has been exchanged between the concerned parties and continues to be exchanged."

Accountability is an electoral issue. The report comes at a time when Netanyahu's opponents are seeking to make accountability for the October 7 attack - which is considered the deadliest attack in Israel's history, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and the abduction of more than 250 others to Gaza - a central issue in their electoral campaign. Netanyahu has remained in office longer than almost all members of Israel's top security leadership since the attack.

Since then, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff, and the directors of military intelligence (Mossad) and the General Security Service (Shin Bet) have either resigned, been dismissed, or completed their terms. Eizenkot, who is currently considered Netanyahu's most prominent rival in opinion polls, stated that the Haaretz report shows that Netanyahu "led Israel blindly" towards the failures of October 7, and renewed his commitment to form a government investigation committee if elected.

Nearly three years after the attack, Netanyahu resisted demands from the families of the victims and survivors of the October 7 attacks to form an independent committee to investigate the security and intelligence failures that enabled Hamas to carry out the operation. Instead, he and his associates promoted a narrative that blames security leaders for not waking him up on the night of the attack, despite the existence of intelligence indicators warning of an imminent attack by Hamas.

His wife, Sara Netanyahu, indicated last month that Yair Golan - the retired general and leader of the left-wing Democratic Party, who independently rushed to the Gaza border on October 7 to rescue survivors - had prior knowledge of the attack. In an interview with the government-aligned Channel 14, she questioned how Golan was "prepared and ready" at dawn that day to head south, "while others were unaware, including the Prime Minister."

Golan demanded an apology for what he described as a "disgusting conspiracy theory," stating that he would take legal action against it for defamation, describing this allegation as part of Netanyahu's attempt to "rewrite" the events of October 7 and evade responsibility. Following a report by Haaretz, Golan wrote on the platform X that the Prime Minister's narrative of "I wasn't woken up" has ended.

He described the matter as "not a misjudgment, but deliberate and criminal negligence." Hours later, the Democratic Party intensified its election campaign against Netanyahu, erecting a massive billboard on the main highway in Tel Aviv with the following title: "The 1200 Casualty File - Causing Death by Negligence."