Gili Cohen
@gilicohen10 · Israeli journalists — political, diplomatic, legal
Gili Cohen is a Kan 11 correspondent covering security and political affairs.
Former Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said at the MEAD conference in Washington, in response to a question about the conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the president of the United Arab Emirates before October 7: “Did a conversation take place? No. If there had been a conversation, I would have been in it, because one of the tasks assigned to me was expanding the Abraham Accords and strengthening the partnership with the United Arab Emirates. So, in all the conversations that took place between the prime minister and Mohammed bin Zayed, the leader of the Emirates, I was involved in the details or I was on the line during the conversation itself, and this conversation did not take place. And this is not even a matter of the content of the conversation, but rather that I do not think there was a conversation at all. And certainly this was not its content. So I do not know where they got this story from. I think the Emiratis were clear that it did not happen. We are clear that it did not happen. So it is essentially fiction. Simply an invented story.” Photo: Ben Kalmer
Translated from HebrewI also reported in the @kann_news edition about the Peace Council's warning regarding Israeli policy in Gaza. A source on the Peace Council tells me: Israel has given up on a 'clean cut' in the Strip—and is in fact pursuing the policy that existed before October 7. Hamas remains standing, and Israel is not dismantling it completely—not by kindness and not by force. We hope that Israel will soon implement the 20-point agreement it signed. By the way, as part of the Peace Council's process, more than a quarter of a million Gazans wanted to join the Palestinian police force being established in Gaza these days. Israel approved 16,000 people who are not identified with Hamas and have no security background. 4,000 are supposed to leave for training in Egypt, but Israel is refusing to approve their departure. According to sources on the council, principle approval was given in the past, but the move is now frozen. The same source wondered: Israel currently does not allow them to leave for Egypt to train, so how will we collect the weapons if there is no new Palestinian police force whose every police officer was approved by the Shin Bet? So far, no response has been received from the Prime Minister's Office or the Shin Bet
Translated from HebrewI reported in @kann_news's broadcast: Mohammed bin Zayed told several senior figures, both in Israel and in the United States, about a conversation he had with Netanyahu before October 7, which included a general warning about the possibility of an explosion involving the Palestinians. Kan News learned that in a conversation between Mohammed bin Zayed and CIA Director Bill Burns, which took place months after October 7, he told the head of the American intelligence agency that he had conveyed a general warning to Netanyahu in his conversation with him about the possibility of a violent explosion. It is unclear exactly when that conversation between Netanyahu and the ruler of the Emirates took place, and at least according to the details MBZ gave his interlocutors, it included a general statement. According to sources, this was not a specific warning, but rather a more general concern relating to the situation vis-à-vis the Palestinians, whether in the West Bank or in Gaza.
Translated from HebrewNow at the MEAD conference in Washington: The people formulating and responsible for the day after in Gaza are talking about the Peace Council’s activities and its plans for the coming months. It seems to me that everyone knows it will be very difficult to make progress in it before 27/10
Translated from HebrewThe last sentence in the Prime Minister's Office's response is exactly an illustration of the importance of establishing a state commission of inquiry.
Translated from HebrewFrom the @kann_news edition: Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to receive a denial from the Emirates, but the unusual statement published by the Emirati Foreign Ministry following the report does not include an explicit denial of the remarks. According to sources, Mohammed bin Zayed was the one who told several senior figures about the conversation. The conversations between the leader of the United Arab Emirates and the prime minister take place in an especially secretive manner: an Emirati representative comes specifically to the prime minister with a dedicated phone, and the conversation is conducted through it. Kan News approached the National Security Council to find out whether there are records of the conversation, but no answer has been received on the matter so far. Senior Israeli officials were surprised by the reported conversation, and some were exposed to it only after its publication in Haaretz. The details of the conversation are being officially denied this evening by Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Translated from HebrewAfter Britain, France also announces that it will ban trade with the settlements. A statement by the French foreign minister said that more than ten additional countries had joined the move. An Israeli response will come
Translated from HebrewBritain is pressuring additional European countries to join in imposing sanctions on the settlements, Kan News has learned. According to an Israeli source, France is considering the move. In Israel, a clear warning was issued today against doing so, including in official remarks such as those by President Herzog. At the same time, the U.S. also conveyed threatening messages on the issue.
Translated from HebrewA poll by @kann_news following our report. The interesting finding, in my view: a quarter of Prime Minister Netanyahu's voters believe that he performed poorly on the morning of the massacre
Translated from HebrewThe public is still waiting: Netanyahu’s schedule on 7.10 provides no answers—only increases the question marks. Whoever is putting himself forward for election to lead the country for another term, and promised answers to all the difficult questions, needs to provide them, especially now. For my analysis column after the storm over the exposé on Kan News, right here
Translated from HebrewWe also reported on @kann_news: The Prime Minister’s Office is publishing the data on the calls that took place in the morning between the military secretary and the prime minister—and thereby effectively confirms that the transcript was falsified regarding the time of the first call that took place. Netanyahu was first updated about the attack at 6:29, in a WhatsApp conversation from his military secretary, which was not transcribed. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the second call, which took place on the red phone, took place at 6:44. According to the information in my possession, this call actually took place at 6:40. In a document that reached me from Kan News with the transcript of the second call, whose contents were published on the program ‘Uvda,’ it was written that it took place at 6:29—a thing that did not happen, indicating that the time of the call was falsified. A police investigation was conducted on the matter, in which chief of staff Tzachi Braverman was questioned.
Translated from HebrewMore details from the @kann_news broadcast: The prime minister’s situation assessment meeting on October 7 had been scheduled in advance for 9:30 at the Kirya, but was postponed to 9:45. According to army records, it took place at 9:45, but according to the prime minister’s office records published this evening following our report, at 9:55. By the way, in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s official schedule, published following the Hatzlacha petition, it is listed at 9:50. Only then did Prime Minister Netanyahu speak for the first time with Chief of Staff Halevi and meet him, at that same discussion held in the pit at the Kirya in Tel Aviv
Translated from HebrewI reported on @kann_news: The prime minister claimed in a video he circulated in recent days that "they decided, because of a miscalculation consideration, not to wake" him, so that they would not attack the Strip in a preemptive strike on the night before October 7. However, according to information obtained by Kan News, even after the two phone calls made to the prime minister by the military secretary - at 6:29 and 6:40 - after the attack began, the prime minister did not ask to speak with the chief of staff. According to two sources familiar with the matter, such a call took place for the first time only at the situation assessment held after 9 in the morning (according to the records, there was a situation assessment chaired by the prime minister at 9:45). The prime minister's office did not comment on the report.
Translated from HebrewIsraeli childhood, its defining features: when they blew the shofar at the nearby school, half the children (and their parents) turned around for a second and their hearts leapt (or as my son, who had just turned three, said: Mom, what is that noise?)
Translated from HebrewKAN News: We strongly condemn the threats sprayed in recent hours on a mosque wall in Samaria against reporter @kann_news, Roi Sharon. The attempt to intimidate a journalist because of his work will not succeed and will not deter Roi or KAN News from continuing to provide reliable and professional reports, including on the disturbances in Judea and Samaria. We expect law enforcement authorities to act quickly and resolutely to locate those responsible and bring them to justice. Our journalistic work will continue without fear.
Translated from HebrewI reported on the @kann_news broadcast: Israel also held direct contacts with Hamas in the months preceding October 7 — to secure the release of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, and the return of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory. Even then, it involved contact between senior Shin Bet officials and Razi Hamed, and even then the matter was known to the prime minister. According to sources familiar with the matter, the talks continued into 2023, when there were advanced contacts toward an agreement for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed and the return of Shaul and Goldin — including the transfer of the number of terrorists who would be released as part of a potential agreement, in discussions held by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the matter.
Translated from HebrewI reported on the @kann_news broadcast: The direct talks between Israel and Hamas were established in an attempt to bypass Qatari mediation and accelerated after the murder of the six hostages in Rafah in order to bring about a breakthrough in the contacts. That is what a source involved in the talks tells me. The initiative to create direct contact with Hamas came from Israel, and it received the prime minister's approval and support. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar hinted at the secret channel in his resignation letter, noting that the prime minister himself also knows how significant the activity that was led was. The direct channel remained secret for a long period, not only from cabinet ministers but also from the mediating countries. It became known only after months of negotiations, and even then remained under a censorial blackout — until yesterday. The talks were conducted between Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, and a senior Shin Bet official who served in a key role on the negotiating team. They were a means of clarifying disputes between the sides, both over key issues and concerning the list of Palestinian prisoners who would be released as part of negotiations to free the hostages. The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to the remarks.
Translated from HebrewNew details in @ReshetBet’s morning journal: The direct talks between Hamas and Israel during the war were telephone conversations between the then-head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and Hamas official Razi Hamed. According to sources familiar with the matter, both Khalil al-Hayya on behalf of Hamas and Prime Minister Netanyahu on behalf of Israel gave their blessing to this secret talks channel, which was intended to clarify disputed issues related to negotiations for the release of the hostages. Those sources claim that there were indeed several conversations, but ultimately the agreement for the release of the hostages was reached through the mediators’ efforts
Translated from HebrewThe Trump administration defines the new move against Iran as an “economic operation.” During Trump’s previous term, Pompeo’s “maximum pressure” points became the bon ton here in Israel. We'll see what happens
Translated from HebrewIsrael presented its demand before the Board of Peace: Deal with the sending of kites from Gaza in the next three days — if it does not stop, we will escalate significantly in Gaza. The message was received by the Board of Peace, and as I understand it, they there also understand that the kites can thwart their effort in recent times. A security official tells me, “We will significantly increase the pace of attacks in Gaza if this continues.”
Translated from HebrewI reported in the @kann_news edition: The Peace Council — and the money to cover Hamas's debts. As part of the agreement reached by the Peace Council and the mediating countries with Hamas, it turns out that a commitment was made to pay Hamas's debts — up to $400 million. This is an ambiguous wording in section five of the document, according to which the money will be transferred to suppliers and contract holders. An official in the Peace Council confirms this and explains that these are funds that will be transferred to public employees 'who did not receive payment, or suppliers and contractors who provided services to the population — and are still owed money'. The Peace Council promises that every claim for payment will be examined individually, and that this is not a commitment to cover "Hamas corruption or other failed financial management connected to its rule in Gaza, or anything connected to Hamas's record of terrorism and oppression," the official said, adding: "The Peace Council will not pay any commitment connected to the record of Hamas's terrorist activity."
Translated from Hebrew
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