This meeting comes amid political controversy surrounding alleged warnings from the UAE regarding Hamas’s activities before the October 7 attack
Photo : AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a rare visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Sunday, according to both countries. An Israeli source familiar with the visit told CNN that the meeting was dominated by discussions about Iran, an area in which Israel and the UAE have expanded security cooperation during the current war.
The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, confirmed on Monday that Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Netanyahu had met on Sunday.
The two leaders discussed “bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and further develop them”, WAM reported.
Netanyahu’s office said the talks focused on “strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges”. His wife accompanied him on the trip, along with the head of the National Security Council, the head of Mossad, a military secretary and a political adviser, his office said.
The visit comes a month before Israel’s 27 October election, as Netanyahu faces renewed political controversy over claims that the UAE leader warned him of a major Hamas operation days before the 7 October 2023 attack.
Reports by Haaretz and The New York Times have alleged that Sheikh Mohammed issued such a warning.
The Atlantic has separately reported that Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, travelled to Israel on 26 September 2023 and warned that Gaza would “blow up”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Israel received at least three warnings from Egypt about a possible attack from Gaza, including a phone call to Netanyahu in the days before 7 October.
Netanyahu’s office has repeatedly denied receiving any such warning, describing the reports as fabricated lies intended to harm him politically.
His opponents have used the allegations to renew questions over responsibility for the failure to prevent the 7 October attack.
Neither Israel nor the UAE referred to the reported warning in their statements about Netanyahu’s latest visit.
Earlier this month, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said it “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders”. It did not deny that a conversation had taken place, adding: “When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.”
An Israeli source previously told CNN that Netanyahu’s office had sought a denial from the UAE over reports of the warning. The UAE instead issued a statement about intelligence-sharing.
Netanyahu’s Likud party has also accused UAE-based Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan of “blatant foreign interference” in Israel’s election. The party did not provide evidence for the allegation.