Netanyahu Sues Media Over Reports of Pre-Oct. 7 Arab Warnings

Good Morning, Israel · Wednesday, September 30, 2026 · 7:09

Episode 3 · Wednesday, September 30, 2026 · 7:09

Netanyahu Sues Media Over Reports of Pre-Oct. 7 Arab Warnings

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0:007:09

1. Netanyahu Sues Media Over Reports of Pre-Oct. 7 Arab Warnings
2. IDF Disputes Netanyahu's Claims of Specific Election-Related Attack Warnings
3. Ex-Shin Bet Chief's Lawsuit Against Netanyahu Signals Escalating Political Crisis
4. Israel's Attorney General Backs Banning Arab Israeli Lawmaker from Knesset
5. Netanyahu Received Hamas Attack Warnings Years Before October 7
6. UK Denies Broadening Arms Export Restrictions on Israel

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Maya

The Prime Minister is taking the press to court.

Daniel

Two point six million shekels, over reports that Arab leaders warned him about October seventh.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Wednesday, September thirtieth. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

We've spent two days on the question of who warned whom before October seventh. Now it's headed for a courtroom. Who's being sued?

Daniel

Israeli media outlets and journalists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suing them for two point six million shekels over reports that the leaders of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates warned him about the Hamas attack.

Maya

And his party's line?

Daniel

Likud, Netanyahu's party, denies the reports outright. It calls them lies meant to harm the Prime Minister and the country's security.

Maya

The country's security, not just his reputation.

Daniel

Right. That's the argument. Saying Arab partners warned Israel and were ignored isn't just a political hit. It also drags the Emirates and Egypt into an Israeli fight.

Maya

So we told you yesterday that former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is suing Netanyahu for defamation. Now Netanyahu is suing too.

Daniel

Exactly. Two lawsuits, pointing in opposite directions, on the same question.

Maya

And the reports themselves have grown since yesterday.

Daniel

They have. The new claim goes back years. According to these reports, Netanyahu got a detailed assessment in twenty sixteen about Hamas's potential for a large-scale attack, and more intelligence in twenty eighteen.

Maya

Twenty sixteen. That's seven years before the attack.

Daniel

Right. And the reports also say the Emirati leadership told him about Hamas preparations, and that he allegedly didn't pass that on to military officials.

Maya

Allegedly being the key word.

Daniel

Very much so. These are reports, and Netanyahu's side flatly denies the warning story. That's exactly what the lawsuit is about.

Maya

So where does this go?

Daniel

One analyst quoted this week put it simply. Bar's lawsuit, the pressure inside Netanyahu's own coalition, and the risk of escalation on Israel's borders all add up to a deepening crisis for the Prime Minister.

Maya

With an election on the horizon.

Daniel

Which is why every one of these stories now lands differently.

Maya

And the election brings us to a second disagreement, this time between the Prime Minister and the army.

Daniel

Right. Netanyahu has warned that Israel's enemies will try to carry out attacks ahead of the vote. He's also been pointing to recent military successes.

Maya

And the I D F?

Daniel

The military is reportedly at odds with that. According to those reports, there are no focused warnings of election-related attacks.

Maya

Wait, so the general threat is real, but the specific one isn't?

Daniel

That's the distinction. Nobody's saying Israel's enemies have stopped trying. Terrorists try all the time. The question is whether there's specific intelligence tied to the election, and the army's reported answer is no.

Maya

Why does that matter?

Daniel

Because in a campaign, security is the issue Israelis care about most. If the Prime Minister and the army read the same intelligence differently, voters will notice.

Maya

Now to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and a possible disqualification.

Daniel

Israel's Attorney General, the government's top legal adviser, has recommended that the High Court bar Arab Israeli lawmaker Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the election.

Maya

On what grounds?

Daniel

The Attorney General cites his support for armed struggle, and recent remarks he made about Hamas terrorists.

Maya

Israel doesn't disqualify candidates lightly, though.

Daniel

No, and that's worth knowing. Arab citizens serve in the Knesset, and the bar for keeping someone off the ballot is high. Israeli law does allow it when a candidate supports armed struggle against the state.

Maya

So this is the system testing that line.

Daniel

Exactly. And it matters that the recommendation comes from the Attorney General, who is not a political appointee pushing a party agenda. The final word belongs to the High Court.

Maya

Speaking of elections, there's one on the other side too.

Daniel

Right. The terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have formed an election coalition with Mohammed Dahlan.

Maya

Remind us who he is.

Daniel

A former senior official in Fatah, the party that runs the Palestinian Authority. The P A governs parts of the West Bank, and it's holding parliamentary elections.

Maya

So the group behind October seventh wants seats in a Palestinian parliament.

Daniel

That's what it's attempting. The P A's Central Elections Commission hasn't approved any lists yet, and it's not clear this coalition will be allowed to run at all.

Maya

And from Israel's point of view?

Daniel

It's a warning sign. Hamas has used a ballot box before, back in two thousand six. A year later it seized Gaza by force. Israel's concern is terrorists using an election to gain legitimacy in the West Bank.

Maya

Back inside Israel, a fight over bodyguards. Former I D F chief Gadi Eisenkot won't be getting a state security detail.

Daniel

That's the Shin Bet's decision, even though earlier reports said he would, and a government advisory committee recommended it.

Maya

So what does he get?

Daniel

The agency will let his privately hired guards carry weapons, and it'll share intelligence with him. But no state protection.

Maya

And Eisenkot isn't the only one asking.

Daniel

No. Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party and is also a former deputy I D F chief, made a similar request. His party has now gone to the High Court of Justice.

Maya

Demanding what?

Daniel

Immediate state security. The party cites explicit threats against Golan, and an assessment that he's at high risk.

Maya

And the Shin Bet's offer?

Daniel

The same package, intelligence and permits for private guards. The Democrats rejected it, and called it an evasion of duty.

Maya

Two former generals, both now politicians, both told to hire their own protection.

Daniel

And in a campaign this heated, the question of who gets protected is political too.

Maya

One more before we go. Britain and arms exports.

Daniel

A British minister said more than eighty export licenses related to Gaza had been refused or suspended, alongside a new policy targeting certain exports.

Maya

And then?

Daniel

A British government source denied reports that the U K has broadened its restrictions on Israel.

Maya

So London is saying nothing new has changed.

Daniel

That's the message. And Israel's position hasn't changed either. It's fighting a war it didn't start, against a terrorist organization still holding hostages, and it expects its friends to stand with its right to defend itself.

Maya

Something to watch before tomorrow, Daniel?

Daniel

The High Court. Watch for its response to the Democrats' petition for Yair Golan's security, and the Abu Shehadeh case is heading there too.

Maya

The court's having a busy election season.

Daniel

It usually does.

Maya

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Daniel

See you tomorrow morning.