The legal and public battle surrounding the investigation published by the Haaretz-TheMarker group regarding an alleged warning call from the UAE President to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the October 7 attack is escalating. On Thursday, attorneys Tal Lieblich and Nitai Zuriel of the Lieblich-Mozer-Glick firm, representing the newspaper, responded to a legal warning letter sent by Netanyahu. In their response, the newspaper rejected the Prime Minister's demands to remove the report, issue an apology, and pay one million shekels in damages.
The letter asserts that the article is the result of thorough, well-founded journalistic work concerning a matter of paramount public interest. The newspaper emphasized that it would not be deterred by attempts to silence journalistic criticism and declared its intention to uncover the truth in legal proceedings. In this context, it is noted that the investigation is slated for publication in the Haaretz Rosh Hashanah issue. Prime Minister Netanyahu has categorically denied the allegations attributed to him in the report, calling the publication a "false fabrication.
" Through his attorneys from the Hur Uriel Nizri firm, Netanyahu claimed that call logs and visitor records to his office had been checked and no trace of such a call was found. Netanyahu also criticized the former Chief of Staff and former head of the Shin Bet, claiming they are responsible for the failures of October 7. The Likud party joined the attack, alleging foreign interference in the elections while presenting claims regarding the involvement of political and foreign entities in the publication.
Conversely, various sources have expressed conflicting views; for instance, a source from the UAE was cited by Channel 13 as casting doubt on Netanyahu's denials, while former Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer declared that the conversation never took place. Additionally, conflicting reports emerged regarding statements attributed to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who denied what was attributed to him. The legal battle is expected to continue as each side maintains its position regarding the reliability of the reports and the resulting legal implications.