🇹🇭 THAILAND — ISRAELI AMBASSADOR SUMMONED OVER TOURIST CONDUCT: Thailand’s Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm over allegations that some Israelis used nominees to circumvent foreign ownership rules and over tourist incidents that have fueled tensions in Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Phuket.
Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow described his discussion with the ambassador as “frank,” saying, “Tourism is important to us, but it isn’t just about income — it is also about the dignity of Thailand.” Israeli tourism rose 46% last year to approximately 410,000 visitors. Thailand is set to reduce visa-free stays from 60 to 30 days beginning September 15. An Israeli tourist has already been deported from Koh Samui, while a nationalist rally is planned outside Israel’s embassy in Bangkok on Thursday.
🛰️ OCTOBER 7 — ALLEGED UAE WARNING TO NETANYAHU REMAINS DISPUTED: Haaretz journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval report that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu roughly 10 days before October 7, 2023, that Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation capable of igniting the region. The investigation alleges a roughly 45-minute conversation in which Netanyahu responded that Hamas was primarily focused on Judea and Samaria and that Israel was prepared for any scenario.
Netanyahu’s office categorically denies that the conversation or warning occurred, calling the allegation an “absolute lie.” The UAE has not publicly confirmed the alleged call. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF chief Herzi Halevi say they were not informed of an Emirati warning; this is consistent with Haaretz’s claim that the warning was not passed to the security establishment but does not independently verify that it occurred.
The allegation sits alongside separate reports of other pre-October 7 warnings, including references attributed to Sinwar about an approaching “earthquake,” a report that Bar warned Netanyahu on October 1 that Hamas was preparing something “extreme,” and the separately disputed claim that Egypt warned Netanyahu shortly before the attack. None independently verifies the alleged UAE conversation.
Naftali Bennett says he knows the Haaretz report is true but has not publicly disclosed the basis for that assertion. Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan jointly demanded an immediate investigation and renewed their call for a state commission of inquiry. Their statements are political reactions rather than independent confirmation.
The central claim therefore remains unresolved: Haaretz presents a detailed, multi-source investigation alleging a direct Emirati warning, while Netanyahu’s office denies both the call and warning, and no public UAE confirmation or documentary evidence establishing the alleged conversation has emerged.
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