Netanyahu denies ever having met Egypt's foreign intelligence chief despite contradictory records

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a Channel 14 interview that he never met a foreign intelligence chief as prime minister, contradicting official records showing he hosted Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in May 2021. The Prime Minister's Office published a statement and photo of the meeting. Netanyahu also met CIA Director William Burns in 2024. The denial came after Netanyahu confirmed an Egyptian aircraft landed in Israel in September 2023, days before the October 7 attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in an interview with Channel 14's The Patriots on Tuesday that he had never met with a foreign intelligence chief in his capacity as prime minister. This contradicts official records showing he hosted Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel at his Jerusalem residence in May 2021. The Prime Minister's Office published a statement and photograph of the meeting, which included then-intelligence minister Eli Cohen and then-national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. Netanyahu also met CIA Director William Burns in Jerusalem in February and May 2024. The remarks came after Netanyahu confirmed an Egyptian aircraft landed in Israel in September 2023, days before the October 7 attack. Netanyahu denied meeting Kamel on that occasion, saying he was at a memorial ceremony.