Certificate of Professional Unfitness: Who to Believe in the War of Compromat

The author analyzes the information war surrounding the publication of a call from the UAE president to Netanyahu warning of a Hamas invasion. The Prime Minister's Office denies the call, creating a 'he said, she said' situation. The author proposes a logical method of analysis: comparing the reputations of the parties — investigative journalists never caught lying, and a prime minister whose office, according to the author, is known for fabricating disinformation.

The author, Vladimir Beider, analyzes the information war that erupted after the publication in Haaretz of an investigation by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. According to the publication, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of an impending Hamas invasion a week and a half before October 7, 2023. The Prime Minister's Office called this information false, creating a 'he said, she said' situation. The author argues that in such a situation, the one who deceived but managed to hide the evidence wins. He proposes a logical method of analysis: comparing the reputations of the parties. In his opinion, journalists Eldar and Yuval have never been caught lying, while Netanyahu's office, it is claimed, has turned into a 'factory of falsification and disinformation,' as evidenced by the testimony of former press secretary Eli Feldstein. The author concludes that the word of the journalists deserves more trust than the prime minister's denial.