(José Niño, Headline USA) Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein set off a firestorm this week when he posted a clip of Hillary Clinton on X, captioning it “Hillary Clinton suggests October 7 was an inside job.”
The clip features Clinton saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “wanted to see what they could plan so that then he could come down hard and it would enhance his position.” The tweet quickly spread across political circles, though Clinton’s actual words carry more nuance than the caption suggests.
Hillary Clinton suggests October 7 was an inside job.
"[Netanyahu] wanted to see what they could plan so that then he could come down hard and it would enhance his position." pic.twitter.com/x4GGTQm2wR
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) September 10, 2026
Clinton made the comments during a Thursday appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” where she discussed lessons from the September 11 attacks alongside the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
She argued that Americans can support a nation while opposing its leadership, telling hosts “I love Israel and I hate Netanyahu’s government and his policies,” as Fox News reported. She then referenced a “bombshell” Israeli press report claiming UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed personally warned Netanyahu about an approaching Hamas operation.
Clinton offered two possible explanations for Netanyahu’s alleged inaction, saying “either he didn’t believe it or he, it’s horrible to say, he wanted to see what they could plan so that then he could come down hard and it would enhance his position.” She quickly added “I don’t know what his thinking was” before calling the episode “a failure of leadership.”
The remark stemmed from a Haaretz investigation on Tuesday that tied to journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval’s upcoming book. Their reporting alleges bin Zayed called Netanyahu roughly ten days before the attack and warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major strike, yet Netanyahu allegedly brushed off the concern and never briefed his security chiefs, according to CNN.
Netanyahu’s office called the account “an absolute lie” and announced plans to sue Haaretz for defamation, per Al Jazeera. The UAE has declined to confirm or deny the specifics, while PBS reported its own correspondents found no independent support for the alleged personal call, according to PBS NewsHour.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
