A live television segment turned combustible this week after “Morning Joe” anchor Joe Scarborough confronted fellow panelist Donny Deutsch during a broadcast dispute tied to a controversial claim about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The clash played out Wednesday on MS NOW, fueled by a Haaretz report alleging Netanyahu had received advance notice of a planned Hamas assault days before the October 7, 2023 massacre unfolded.
Sparks flew as the two commentators talked over each other, with Deutsch repeatedly steering the conversation back toward Hamas’ culpability for the attack, while Scarborough pushed for direct engagement with the Haaretz allegations against Netanyahu.
Frustration boiled over when Scarborough locked eyes with his co-host and challenged him: “Look at me in my eyes. Do you think that I’m going to be distracted by you saying what I’ve said a million times?”
Scarborough reminded viewers that he had denounced Hamas as a terrorist organization countless times in the past, then pivoted with a pointed question: “Now, can we talk about Netanyahu, or do you just not want to talk about him?”
Deutsch fired back that he had never come to Netanyahu’s defense, telling Scarborough, “I don’t know what went down, and we don’t know.”
That answer didn’t sit well with Scarborough, who invoked a comparison to another national tragedy. “Does that not concern you?” he asked. “We ask questions about 9/11. Are you willing to ask questions about Netanyahu?”
Deutsch stood his ground, replying, “I’m willing to answer questions. I’m willing to ask the questions.”
Once cameras stopped rolling, Scarborough moved quickly to downplay any notion of a rift, framing the moment as nothing unusual between two men who have known each other for two decades.
“Donny and I have been great friends for 20 years. We’re both strong supporters of Israel,” he explained to The Post.
“We just had a disagreement today on whether we should talk about the Haaretz report and talk about what Netanyahu’s responsibility was in it.”
Scarborough suggested his co-host’s hesitation stemmed from a fear that scrutinizing Netanyahu might overshadow Hamas’ role in the atrocity, then reiterated a shared stance between the two men.
“We all have said for years that Hamas are terrorists, that they want to kill Jews, that they want to destroy the state of Israel, and that they are an evil force in the region,” Scarborough said.
He brushed aside any suggestion that the heated moment reflected a deeper falling-out, noting the two only speak that candidly with people they trust completely.
“We’re great friends, and we’ve done that before, and I don’t think we’d talk that way with somebody that we weren’t so comfortable with,” Scarborough said, adding, “He cares passionately about the issue. I care passionately about the issue.”
Beyond the on-air spat, Scarborough used the opportunity to restate his long-held view on Netanyahu’s political future, telling The Post plainly, “I don’t think Benjamin Netanyahu running Israel for another three, four, five years is in the country’s best interest.”
At the center of the entire dispute sits Haaretz’s Monday report, which claims UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed placed a 45-minute call to Netanyahu roughly ten days ahead of the October 7 attack, warning him that Hamas military chief Yahya Sinwar was mobilizing for a large-scale strike.
Citing three unnamed senior foreign officials with knowledge of the alleged call, Haaretz reported that bin Zayed’s warning followed intelligence suggesting Sinwar had signaled preparation for a “zilzal” — the Arabic term for “earthquake.”
Netanyahu’s camp has forcefully denied the account, branding it an “absolute lie” through an official statement asserting, “Prime Minister Netanyahu didn’t speak to the president of the UAE during the period in question and received no warning from him.”
Netanyahu personally addressed the controversy Wednesday, saying a records check conducted by his office, Israel’s National Security Council, and his military secretary turned up no trace of any call with the UAE leader between early September and October 7, 2023.
He has since ordered his attorneys to pursue defamation litigation against Haaretz and the reporters behind the story, while the outlet has publicly maintained confidence in its reporting.
Emirati officials, for their part, have sidestepped direct questions about the alleged phone call, though the UAE’s foreign ministry noted that communication channels between Emirati and Israeli leadership have remained active since diplomatic ties were established.
The Post has requested comment from both the Israeli government and Netanyahu’s office.
