Political Storm Erupts in Israel Over Pre-War Egyptian Intelligence Plane Landing
A political storm in Israel has erupted over the pre-war landing of an Egyptian intelligence plane, as contradictions emerge in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's accounts.
A major political and security storm has erupted in Israel following revelations regarding the landing of an Egyptian intelligence aircraft shortly before the outbreak of the war. The affair has revived intense questions concerning the intelligence information transmitted to Jerusalem prior to the October 7 massacre, placing the conflicting accounts within the political leadership center stage.
Bismot Rejects Claims of Prior Warnings
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Boaz Bismot addressed the Prime Minister's statements in a radio interview, firmly rejecting allegations of prior warnings. According to Bismot, the attempt to create a false impression that Egypt and the UAE warned the Prime Minister beforehand is untrue. Bismot emphasized that no such warning was issued.
The attempt to paint a false picture as if the Egyptians and the Emirates previously warned the Prime Minister about what was to come on October 7—the public knows this is a lie. As Chairman, I am exposed to the materials, and there was no such warning.
Netanyahu's Acknowledgement and Political Fallout
The current storm intensified after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in a television interview that the Egyptian plane did indeed land in Israel for a one-hour stay on the eve of the attack. Netanyahu firmly denied meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, demanded an investigation into who the senior official met with, and claimed that a prime minister does not typically meet alone with a foreign intelligence chief.
Political commentator Amit Segal highlighted substantial contradictions in Netanyahu's narrative, noting that Netanyahu hosted the exact same intelligence chief at Balfour Street in 2021, an event documented by an official video titled "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Egyptian General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel."
