Segal argues Eldar and Yuval would have backed the same policy even if the report is true
Amit SegalPolitical commentator for Channel 12 News and columnist for Israel Hayom
Commentator Amit Segal wrote in Hebrew that, even if one supposes a long call, a very specific warning and a fully accurate Haaretz account, Eldar and Yuval would have urged economic benefits for Gaza rather than targeted killings. He wrote that the book rests on two shaky sources, both aging senior Fatah figures, that responsibility for the tragedy rests fully on the decision-makers, and that Eldar and Yuval are not exempt from a searching self-examination. He also listed three side details of the report that he said were quickly refuted, among them that Egypt did not personally warn Netanyahu.
“And suppose there was a long phone call between the Emirati leader and Netanyahu. And suppose even that a warning was delivered, and that it was very specific. Suppose the entire report by Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval is true ... If Netanyahu had told the cabinet about the call with the Emirati ruler, and if Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval had been ministers, they would have proposed one thing: economic benefits, and under no circumstances assassinations. ... When you scrape away the many anonymous sources, you find that the entire book rests on two shaky sources, two aging senior Fatah officials ... And so, responsibility for the tragedy lies entirely with the decision-makers, but Eldar and Yuval are not exempt from serious soul-searching. (Translated from Hebrew. Original: ונניח שהיתה שיחת טלפון ממושכת בין מנהיג האמירויות לנתניהו. ונניח אפילו שנמסרה אזהרה, והיא היתה ספציפית מאוד. נניח שכל הפרסום של שלומי אלדר ורותי יובל נכון ... אם נתניהו היה מספר לקבינט על השיחה עם שליט האמירויות, ואם שלומי אלדר ורותי יובל היו שרים, הם היו מציעים דבר אחד: הטבות כלכליות, ובשום פנים ואופן לא חיסולים. ... כשמגרדים את שלל הגורמים האנונימיים, מגלים שהספר כולו נשען על שני מקורות רעועים, שני בכירי פת״ח מזדקנים ... ולכן, האחריות לטרגדיה מוטלת במלואה על מקבלי ההחלטות, אך אלדר ויובל אינם פטורים מחשבון נפש נוקב.)”
Original post
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was Netanyahu warned by the UAE about a major Hamas operation before October 7?
Haaretz reported on September 8, 2026 that United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Benjamin Netanyahu by phone, about ten days before October 7, 2023, that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation. Netanyahu and his office deny that the call or a warning occurred. On September 25, 2026 The New York Times reported that two unnamed people, one who said they had spoken with Sheikh Mohammed and one who said they were briefed by someone on the call, said he alerted Netanyahu that Hamas was considering a major attack. Citing five unnamed former senior Israeli officials, the Times reported that the warning never reached the heads of Israel's security establishment, and, citing minutes it reviewed, that Netanyahu did not mention it at an October 1, 2023 meeting with security chiefs. One of the Times' sources said the information was not specific about the nature of the attack, and the minutes are not public. Reporter Shlomi Eldar says he has documents, records and confidential-source evidence for the Haaretz account, none of which has been made public. Naftali Bennett says he knows the report is true, and other opposition leaders demand an investigation. The UAE government has declined to confirm or deny the alleged conversation. As of September 25, 2026, we could not locate a public response from Netanyahu's office to the Times report.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Long post in Hebrew by political commentator Amit Segal (Channel 12 News and Israel Hayom), headed with the title of a column about the Haaretz report by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. It was posted before the New York Times report appeared.
Original post
About this source
Second long post in Hebrew by Amit Segal on the same day. It links to his full Israel Hayom column. It was posted before the New York Times report appeared.
Reporting
About this source
Times of Israel report on a Channel 12 broadcast of Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Channel 12 cited three senior Emirati sources and did not name them. The article says Netanyahu has denied that any such conversation took place, and it quotes the Prime Minister's Office response to the original Haaretz report.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
New York Times report by Adam Rasgon, Mark Mazzetti and Ronen Bergman. One person who said they had spoken with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and another who said they were briefed by someone on the call told the Times that the Emirati leader secretly reported to Netanyahu that Hamas was considering a major attack. Five former senior Israeli officials said the warning never reached the heads of Israel's security establishment, and minutes of an Oct. 1, 2023 security meeting reviewed by the Times show Netanyahu did not mention it. The article notes that Netanyahu has denied the Haaretz report. The article is paywalled beyond the opening paragraphs, so later details come from Ynet's summary of the Times report.
Before the quotation
Haaretz reporters Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval reported that the UAE president called Netanyahu with a warning about a major Hamas operation, and Netanyahu has denied that any such conversation took place.
After the quotation
Later on September 25, 2026, the New York Times reported that two people told it the call took place, and that minutes of an October 1, 2023 security meeting show Netanyahu did not mention the warning.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether Netanyahu received the reported warning from the UAE president and failed to relay or act on it. Segal does not deny the call. He proceeds on the supposition that the report is fully accurate, argues that the reporters' own preferred policy would not have differed from Netanyahu's, disputes the reliability of the book's sources, and places full responsibility on the decision-makers. Because these positions are combined and the argument rests on an express supposition, we used mixed or conditional rather than defends or excuses. Most of the piece is a critique of Eldar and Yuval and of their sources rather than a view on whether the warning was relayed, so the label reflects only its hypothetical stance on the reference point.
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More from this case
Read the full caseBeliak says Netanyahu ignored several warnings and calls it unforgivable
“Netanyahu's propaganda machine has spent enormous effort over the past two weeks trying to distance him from the shocking revelation by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval in Haaretz. This evening The New York Times is also publishing a comprehensive investigation on the subject. Netanyahu was warned by a number of sources in Israel and abroad, Netanyahu ignored it - 1,200 Israelis were murdered and killed on October 7, 2023. Unforgivable. (Translated from Hebrew. Original: מכונת התעמולה של נתניהו השקיעה בשבועיים האחרונים מאמצים כבירים, על מנת להרחיק אותו מהחשיפה המטלטלת של שלומי אלדר ורות יובל בהארץ. הערב גם ניו יורק טיימס מפרסם תחקיר מקיף בנושא. נתניהו הוזהר על ידי מספר גורמים בארץ ובחו״ל, נתניהו התעלם - 1,200 ישראלים נרצחו ונהרגו ב-7 באוקטובר 2023. בלתי נסלח.)”Read statement
President Herzog says his talk with the UAE president was separate from whether Netanyahu was warned
“The article mentioned that the president of the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MBZ, spoke with me and expressed concern about the situation. And it was important to me to explain that this is outside the context of any warning that may or may not have been given to the prime minister, which is, after all, the heart of the dispute ... He spoke with me explicitly, several months before October 7, about the legal dispute that is tearing Israeli society apart, at the height of the protests and demonstrations (Translated from Hebrew. Original: בתוך המאמר הוזכר שנשיא האמירויות, שייח' מוחמד בן זאיד, המכונה MBZ, שוחח איתי והביע דאגה על המצב. והיה לי חשוב להסביר שזה מחוץ לקונטקסט של התרעה כלשהי שאולי ניתנה לראש הממשלה ואולי לא, שזה הרי לב הוויכוח ... הוא דיבר איתי כמה חודשים לפני 7.10 בצורה מפורשת על הוויכוח המשפטי שקורע את החברה הישראלית, בתקופת שיא המחאות וההפגנות)”Read statement
Noam Peri: no inquiry has been established into ignored October 7 warnings
“A commission of inquiry has not even been established.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Segal argues Eldar and Yuval would have backed the same policy even if the report is true". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-10-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/2621-commentator-amit-segal-wrote-in-hebrew-that-even