Opposition chiefs in joint statement: ‘Public has right to know what Netanyahu knew and when he knew it’

The heads of the main opposition parties running in the upcoming election issue a joint statement following the Haaretz report this morning that Netanyahu was warned by the leader of the United Arab Emirates days before October 7 that Hamas was planning an attack.

“The shocking revelations this morning demand an immediate and thorough investigation. They add to a growing body of revelations about Netanyahu’s failures and dysfunction, and once again underscore why Netanyahu is fighting for his political life — to prevent the establishment of a state commission of inquiry and to prevent the truth from being brought before the Israeli public,” according to the statement by Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett, Democrats chief Yair Golan and Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman.

The statement accuses Netanyahu of displaying “arrogance and a betrayal of the trust that Israeli citizens placed in him” by ostensibly ignoring the warning, and says his behavior was “an extreme dereliction of duty.”

“The Israeli public has a right to know: What did Netanyahu know, when did he know it, why did he fail to inform the security establishment, and why did he fail to act to protect the citizens of Israel?”

Saying Netanyahu and his allies “are unfit to remain in office,” the opposition chiefs vow that “immediately upon the formation of the 38th government under our leadership, we will establish a state commission of inquiry that will investigate the failures that led to the October 7 disaster, uncover the truth, and ensure that this catastrophe never happens again.”