Netanyahu makes secret visit to Abu Dhabi, meets UAE president: British media

A British news agency has claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi.

In May this year, the Israeli prime minister’s office had also announced a visit by Netanyahu to the UAE and a meeting with the Emirati president. However, the UAE had denied the meeting.

A senior Israeli official has confirmed the meeting to the British news agency. However, no official statement was issued immediately by the Israeli prime minister’s office or the UAE foreign ministry. The UAE foreign ministry also declined to comment on the report.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on a private plane. He stayed there for about a day and then flew back to Israel. However, details of the meeting’s agenda or of the talks between the two leaders have not emerged yet.

The meeting comes at a time when relations between Israel and the UAE, as well as the regional security situation, are drawing global attention. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. Contacts have continued in various fields since then.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported this month that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu about Hamas’s alleged preparations for a major operation about a week and a half before the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. The Israeli prime minister has denied the report. The UAE has not commented directly on the matter.

According to the British news agency, contacts between the two countries on security matters have continued. However, an Emirati source had said in the past that such matters are discussed through the relevant institutions, not at the level of national leaders. Further details on the latest meeting are awaited from both governments.