Netanyahu's office rejects FOI request for Oct. 7 intel
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The request was initially made back in June by the Movement for Freedom of Information and the Hatzlacha Movement for the Promotion of a Fair Society, which the Israeli PMO rejected earlier this week
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in the Prime Minister's Office on July 30, 2023. (AFP)
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office rejected a freedom of information request for any and all documents Benjamin Netanyahu may have received from the IOF's Intelligence Branch warning of Hamas' potential retaliation operation against the occupation, Channel 12 reported.
The IOF stated they had received four "warning letters" ahead of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, which the PMO essentially denied, claiming that the documents it received from the Intelligence Branch suggested the Palestinian Resistance group was deterred from retaliating.
The documents were initially requested by the Movement for Freedom of Information and the Hatzlacha Movement for the Promotion of a Fair Society through a letter sent to the IOF and PMO, receiving a final rejection from the latter on Sunday.
Netanyahu's Office claims 'ongoing sensitivity' of documents
The two movements requested “all the documents, interactions, assessments and briefings sent to the PM and his representatives in the course of 2023 regarding the dangers, risks and possible implications stemming from social processes, and their connection to the likelihood of war or a deteriorating security situation regarding any element, including Hamas,” according to the report.
Following the PMO's rejection of the request and denial that warnings were received, the two movements proposed Netanyahu's office publicly release all IOF intelligence materials related to Gaza, after obtaining approval from the military censor to ensure there is no threat to the occupation's security.
The PMO responded to the proposition by stating it consulted with Netanyahu, deciding the documents would not be disclosed to the public due to their "security classification" and ongoing "sensitivity."
Netanyahu's Office claimed that there was only a single one-on-one meeting with the prime minister and former IOF intelligence chief Aharon Haliva in 2023, the report stated.
Netanyahu burned documents after Hamas operation: Israeli media
The so-called "Democratic Movement in Israel" claimed that the office of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu burned documents after the launch of the Resistance's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 to evade responsibility for the premier's failure.
The movement also announced that it had asked the attorney general to investigate the aforementioned allegations.
Israeli Channel 12 had reported, citing military sources, that Netanyahu is running a campaign to undermine Israeli military chiefs in order to free himself of responsibility for the defeat suffered on October 7.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu is collecting reports and information that would aid his claim to avoid responsibility for the intelligence and military failure.
