The October 7 attack: What did Netanyahu do during the massacre? The reconstruction.
The Israeli prime minister denies having been warned by the Emirates ten days earlier and blames the security forces: "If they had informed me in time, the massacre could have been prevented."Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Benjamin Netanyahu is counterattacking as the most pressing question returns to the forefront of Israeli debate: what did the prime minister know before October 7th and, more importantly, what did he do during the hours when Hamas was preparing the attack? A Haaretz investigation claims that, about ten days before the massacre, the Israeli prime minister was personally warned by United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed of the offensive Yahya Sinwar was preparing. Netanyahu denies everything and announces a lawsuit against the newspaper and journalist Shlomi Eldar, author of the book on which this reconstruction is based.
According to the investigation, a phone call lasting approximately 45 minutes took place between Netanyahu and bin Zayed in late September 2023. The Emirati president discussed Sinwar's plans and the risk of a large-scale attack, capable of causing significant regional destabilization and jeopardizing the Abraham Accords. The investigation also claims that the warning was not passed on to Israeli security officials. Netanyahu, however, denies the accusation and maintains that there is no trace of the phone call in his office documents.
The prime minister calls the investigation "a lie" and a "wicked plot" with precise political timing, just weeks before the Israeli elections on October 27. Netanyahu claims there will be "more false accusations" before the vote and accuses the left of wanting to exploit the October 7 tragedy to attack his government.
But the controversy isn't just about the possible Emirati warning. Also of concern is the reconstruction of what happened in the hours following the attack. Netanyahu was reportedly informed of the attack at 6:29 a.m., but didn't speak with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi until 9:55 a.m.
His presence at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv is also the subject of differing versions: according to his reconstruction, the prime minister arrived at 8:00 a.m., while the Shin Bet minutes place his entry into the bunker later , and it was only at 9:30 a.m., three hours after the attack began, that Netanyahu convened a meeting. At 11:35 a.m., he addressed the country for the first time, announcing: "Citizens of Israel, we are at war." At 1:45 p.m., he ordered the destruction of Hamas forces that had entered Israeli territory.
Netanyahu pointed the finger at then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. "They saw all the warning signs many hours before the attack began," the prime minister accused, arguing that if they had ordered the army and intelligence agencies to intervene and informed him in time, "it would have been possible to prevent the horrific massacre."
(Unioneonline/D)