Benjamin Netanyahu immediately denied this information the day after the attack on October 7, 2023. Now it resurfaces in the columns of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on September 27, a few weeks before the legislative elections which will determine whether or not the Prime Minister will remain in power. According to information from the American daily, the Egyptian authorities alerted Israel three times in 2023 of an imminent risk of a Hamas attack on the soil of the Hebrew state.
The first, âvague,â alert from the Egyptian authorities was apparently made in June of that year, indicates the WSJ: âThey warned their Israeli counterparts against the instability of the situation in Gaza and encouraged them to resume negotiations with Hamas.â In September, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel traveled to Israel to convey a more serious warning. âThe situation in Gaza was critical and risked degenerating for everyone,â he reportedly told the Israelis, who assured in return that the situation was under control.
United Arab Emirates alert
Finally, only a few days before October 7, Abbas Kamel allegedly called Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The Egyptians even continued to warn the Israelis until 48 hours before the massacre which left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages. The existence of this call is revealed by the WSJ, citing Arab government sources and others familiar with the matter.
In September, Benyamin Netanyahu also received a telephone call from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed ben Zayed, who also informed him of indications suggesting an upcoming attack by Hamas. According to Arab officials and sources close to the matter mentioned by the WSJ, the Israeli leader did not seem âconvincedâ. âThese same sources indicated that the warnings did not specify either the timetable or the scale of the potential attack,â specifies the daily.
At the heart of the debates before the legislative elections
Benjamin Netanyahu's office had already denied the existence of these Egyptian and Emirati warnings which could harm him politically during the elections on October 27. The question of whether the prime minister failed in his responsibilities by preventing such a massacre from taking place is at the heart of the debates in the legislative campaign, at the end of which Israelis will elect the 120 deputies of the Knesset - the Parliament. A September poll by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) indicated that 68% of Israeli Jews consider October 7 a determining factor in their choice of vote.
Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, accused his security officials of not having warned him of the imminent attack, recalls the WSJ. âHe claims that if he had been awakened earlier on the morning of the Hamas assault, he would have handled the situation differently. He and his allies said his security services withheld crucial information from him about the attack, an idea that resonated favorably with his electorate, according to Israeli polling firm Hermann. Security officials denied the allegations,â the newspaper added.
No clear majority, according to polls
One month before the elections, the polls do not show any clear majority. The most recent, published on September 28 by Kan News, gives 52 seats to the bloc supporting Benjamin Netanyahu and 52 to the âchange blocâ, therefore very far from the 61 seats necessary to form a majority alone. The party of his main rival Gadi Eisenkot, Yashar, would come first with 23 seats, ahead of Likud at 21.
On the other hand, in the details of the survey, Benjamin Netanyahu resists much better when participants are asked directly who they prefer as prime minister: 39% choose Benjamin Netanyahu and 38% Gadi Eisenkot. In other words, Gadi Eisenkot is ahead of Likud in voting intentions, but Benjamin Netanyahu remains neck and neck in personal preference for the post of head of government.
