Immediately following his explosive Haaretz report alleging an advance UAE warning ahead of October 7, journalist Shlomi Eldar partnered with the left-wing NGO "Darkenu"—closely tied to The "Democrats" party—to amplify the narrative via pre-produced promotional videos and podcasts. Eldar confirmed receiving funds from the NGO, raising pressing questions over political electioneering ahead of national ballots and whether proper conflict-of-interest disclosures were provided to his editors.
Immediately following the publication of an investigative piece in Haaretz by journalist Shlomi Eldar—which alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu purportedly received a warning from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed before the October 7 massacre—Eldar began collaborating with the left-wing organization “Darkenu” to promote the story across its institutional platforms, including an exclusive podcast and coordinated promotional video clips.
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Shlomi Eldar, archive | Photo: Flash 90
Darkenu is closely affiliated with the Democrats” party (the merged Labor-Meretz faction). Notably, the promotional videos were prepared in advance—even before the article’s publication in the newspaper. Senior operatives within the “Democrats” party, including party activist Avishai Ben-Aharon, who manages key party figures like Yaya Fink and MK Naama Lazimi, currently direct Darkenu. Furthermore, members of the “HeChalutz” movement control the organization and are also affiliated with the “Democrats”.
The sequence of events points toward a coordinated political campaign in which journalist Shlomi Eldar actively participates. In light of this, a glaring journalistic question emerges: Did Eldar
fully disclose to Haaretz editors that he was part of a political campaign apparatus run by “Democrats” activists before publishing his investigation just
before elections?
Photo: Ishay Friedman’s X page
In response to an official inquiry, Shlomi Eldar confirmed that he received financial compensation from the left-wing NGO Darkenu for the podcast project, underscoring that the report and its distribution were directly tied to a partisan political election effort.
As reported, the Haaretz piece, which triggered widespread political and media turmoil, centered on Eldar’s investigation claiming that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed allegedly warned Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before October 7 that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a “significant event”—and that Netanyahu allegedly failed to relay the alert to defense chiefs.
Following the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched a formal pre-lawsuit warning letter alleging defamation against Haaretz and journalists Shlomi Eldar, Ruth Yuval, and Uri Misgav. Netanyahu demanded the immediate retraction of the article, a prominent public apology, and a settlement of 1 million NIS within 72 hours, warning that failure to comply would result in a comprehensive libel lawsuit exceeding 2.5 million NIS.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic fallout reached the United Arab Emirates, where officials issued a dismissive official response clarifying: “We are not part of this affair,” adding that they cannot continually swat away the ongoing waves of rumors circulating across the Israeli press.
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