UAE confirms Netanyahu visit for first time, with no mention of regional wars - Middle East Eye
The UAE has officially acknowledged hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks with President Mohammed bin Zayed on Sunday, its first such acknowledgement since establishing relations with Israel in 2020.
In a statement late on Monday, the Emirates News Agency said simply that bin Zayed "discussed with the Israeli prime minister the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them".
The UAE released no official photograph of Sunday’s meeting. Its statement made no mention of the regional wars in which the UAE and Israel are involved - in occupied Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen and Sudan.
Sources in the UAE told Haaretz that bin Zayed greeted Netanyahu at the airport.
The meeting also made the front pages of the UAE’s state-owned Al-Bayan and Al-Ittihad newspapers, which simply reprinted the official statement.
In May, Netanyahu’s office blindsided the UAE by revealing that he had secretly visited the country at the height of the Israeli-US war on Iran.
The Emirati foreign ministry responded by saying its relations with Israel "are public" and "not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements".
"Any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE," the statement said.
The latest meeting follows a Haaretz report earlier this month that bin Zayed had given Netanyahu advance warning of a Hamas attack before 7 October 2023.
According to the Israeli newspaper, bin Zayed delivered the warning during a 45-minute phone call about a week and a half before the attack.
The revelations come as Netanyahu fights for his political survival ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections.
He also faces corruption charges in Israeli courts and could go to prison if convicted.
During the latest meeting, it was reported that Netanyahu asked bin Zayed to deny its report about the warning and provide “moral” support.
Netanyahu's Office also confirmed the visit, saying he and his wife, Sara, travelled to the UAE on Sunday at the invitation of Mohammed bin Zayed.
"The visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges," the official statement read, adding that Netanyahu was accompanied by the head of the National Security Council, the head of the Mossad, the military secretary and the foreign policy adviser.
According to Israeli media reports, representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Morocco were also present at the meeting.
Ynet reported that Mossad chief Roman Goffman arranged the meeting after Saudi Arabia requested Israeli assistance against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region.
