Israeli left-wing newspaper Haaretz has rejected three demands from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a report alleging that he was warned by United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan about a planned Hamas attack before Oct. 7, 2023.
The newspaper said Thursday that it had responded to a warning from Netanyahu’s lawyers and rejected his threat to sue the publication and journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval.
The dispute centers on a report published Tuesday claiming that bin Zayed warned Netanyahu in a phone call about 10 days before the Oct. 7 attack that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel.
Netanyahu has denied having any contact with the UAE president and said he received no such warning. The UAE Foreign Ministry has declined to comment specifically on reports of conversations between government leaders, but said Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv have maintained “open and direct channels of communication” since establishing diplomatic relations more than five years ago, including intelligence exchanges when necessary.
Haaretz described its report as the result of an “in-depth, well-sourced journalistic investigation” into a matter of significant public interest.
The newspaper said Netanyahu demanded that it remove the report, issue an apology and pay 1 million shekels ($331,000) as part of a settlement. His lawyers also threatened to file a lawsuit seeking more than 2.5 million shekels ($827,000).
Haaretz rejected the demands and said it was prepared to defend the report in court.
The newspaper accused Netanyahu of seeking to suppress critical journalism, arguing that, in the absence of what it called full accountability from the prime minister, the press has a responsibility to disclose information to the public.
Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that he had instructed his legal team to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz, the two journalists and other unspecified parties.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu did not act on the alleged UAE warning or brief senior military and Shin Bet officials about the possibility of a Hamas attack.
The Oct. 7 assault saw Hamas-led fighters attack Israeli military bases and communities near the Gaza border, killing and capturing Israelis. Israeli military, intelligence and political officials have since described the attack as one of the country’s most serious security and political failures.
Several senior officials have acknowledged responsibility for aspects of the failure, while Netanyahu has rejected personal responsibility and criticized the military and security establishment.
The allegations come amid continuing scrutiny of the decisions and intelligence failures that preceded the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
According to Palestinian authorities, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000, most of them women and children.
Netanyahu has also been the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
