Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his lawyers Wednesday to sue Haaretz and journalist Shlomi Eldar for libel over a report alleging he was warned by the UAE ahead of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, incursion, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In a statement cited by the newspaper, the Prime Minister’s Office called the Haaretz report "completely fabricated,” saying there had been no communication between Netanyahu and the UAE from the beginning of September 2023 until the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
The office said a review of Netanyahu’s call records and records of entries to the Prime Minister’s Office during that period showed no visit by an Emirati representative.
It accused Haaretz of publishing the report as part of a politically motivated campaign ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 elections.
The Prime Minister’s Office also blamed former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi for failures surrounding the Oct. 7 incursion, alleging that they had seen indications of an impending attack hours before it began but failed to inform Netanyahu on time.
Haaretz said in response to the planned lawsuit that it stood by its reporting, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The dispute follows a Haaretz report alleging that Netanyahu had received a warning from the UAE ahead of the Oct. 7 incursion but failed to act on it.
The report prompted Israeli opposition leaders Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan on Tuesday to demand the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events surrounding Oct. 7.
In a joint statement, the opposition leaders said the Israeli public deserved to know what happened before, during and after the attack and accused Netanyahu of ignoring serious warnings that reached him directly.
They pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry immediately if they form the next government.
Netanyahu has faced sustained criticism over his government’s handling of the events leading up to the Oct. 7 attack and has resisted calls for a state commission of inquiry, while arguing that questions of responsibility should be addressed after the war.