Today's briefing covers mounting political pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu over contradictory accounts of his pre-October 7 guidance, a High Court deadline for the government on Red Cross access to detainees, and a flurry of diplomatic developments including tensions with Spain and the Netherlands, alongside Netanyahu's brief but significant visit to the UAE.

Politics

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing intensifying scrutiny over conflicting accounts of the directives he issued before the October 7 attacks. Mounting documented evidence reportedly contradicts his public claims regarding a proposed arrangement with Hamas, credit he has taken for security preventions, and blame he has assigned to military and security chiefs. Critics say his office has worked to obscure the full picture from the public regarding the failures that preceded the attack. Separately, as election season approaches, parties contesting the vote are setting out sharply differing positions on Judea and Samaria, ranging from calls for sovereignty to conditional withdrawal from settlements under a future agreement, and how to handle unauthorised outposts.

Security

Israel's High Court has given the government two weeks to specify the terms under which Red Cross visits to Palestinian security detainees can resume, after ruling in June that the existing ban was unlawful. Visits have still not resumed, with the Prison Service seeking new restrictions. Elsewhere in the region, Iran has reportedly carried out more than 1,000 missile and drone strikes on Iraq's Kurdish region since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, leaving the area increasingly exposed as US forces withdraw from Iraq. Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthis are reportedly threatening to strike Saudi bridges in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Yemeni infrastructure.

International

Iran took centre stage during Netanyahu's brief six-hour visit to the UAE, where talks with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly focused on the Iranian threat; Netanyahu is also said to have asked MBZ to deny reports that he had warned Israel of an impending Hamas attack before October 7. Separately, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is still awaiting a final US position on its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, insisting only a negotiated agreement can resolve the standoff. In Europe, Israel summoned Spain's chargé d'affaires for a reprimand after a Spanish minister used the phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be liberated' during a speech. Dutch authorities have begun subjecting El Al passengers to lengthy customs checks under a new ban on West Bank settlement goods, effective 22 September, prompting an Israeli travel warning. In Britain, the government faces pressure to block entry to an Australian writer accused of celebrating the October 7 attack, while a new refugee resettlement scheme is set to give priority to Palestinians and Afghan women. A UK university's Islamic society has also come under scrutiny after being accused of links to a group with alleged Hezbollah ties. Meanwhile, in France, Marine Le Pen is emerging as a frontrunner for the presidency and is expected to face an anti-Israel candidate in a decisive runoff round. In Washington, US officials said President Trump raised the possibility of arms sales to China with President Xi Jinping, though the State Department maintains no such sales are planned or legally permitted.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post