Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff Investigated for Alleged 7 October Document Alterations

Police are investigating the Chief of Staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concerning accusations of modifying documents linked to the 7 October Hamas attack, reportedly to present the Prime Minister in a more positive manner. Tzachi Braverman, a key advisor to Netanyahu, underwent questioning by the Israeli police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit for more than five hours on Thursday, as reported by Israeli media outlets. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that an inquiry is currently in progress. The allegations center on two phone calls Netanyahu received while the Hamas cross-border incursion was taking place on 7 October 2023. Braverman is suspected of changing the recorded time of Netanyahu’s initial update regarding the attack, which came through a phone call from his then-military secretary, Major General Avi Gil. The chief of staff faces accusations of altering the time from 06:40 to 06:29. He denies making any alterations to the call transcript apart from adjusting the time. During the interrogation, he reportedly informed detectives, “I know that the first call was received at 06:29, that’s why I insisted on changing it.” Although Gil contacted Netanyahu at 06:29, at the onset of the Hamas attack, Netanyahu reportedly issued no directives, instructing him instead to call back in 10 minutes, at 06:40, as per a Haaretz newspaper report. Haaretz further reported that it was only during the subsequent phone call, for which Braverman purportedly modified the timestamp to make it seem like the initial one, that Netanyahu directed Gil to conduct a situational assessment concerning the unfolding Hamas invasion. The accusation posits that Braverman modified the time to create the impression that the prime minister had responded with greater urgency and decisiveness. The chief of staff refutes this claim. The 7 October attack represented the most significant military and intelligence failure in Israel’s history. A number of high-ranking military officials have already stepped down due to the incident. Netanyahu has consistently disavowed any individual responsibility for failure. However, his detractors contend that the prime minister bears ultimate responsibility for the failure to avert the deadliest assault on the nation since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Multiple investigations are ongoing into the military and intelligence shortcomings, and Netanyahu has dismissed allegations that he is delaying calls for a comprehensive inquiry. This emerging potential scandal is in its early stages, yet it possesses the capacity to significantly weaken the Prime Minister’s standing. Furthermore, this development occurs while Netanyahu is currently undergoing a trial on corruption charges. He is scheduled to provide testimony in that trial next month, having been unsuccessful in his attempt to have the case dismissed, which he perceives as a political witch-hunt. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.