Netanyahu visits UAE for talks with Arab leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to meet with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to his office and Emirati confirmation.¹²³

Details of the visit

Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on a private plane, spent most of the day there and returned to Israel the same day, accompanied by his wife Sara and senior officials including the heads of the National Security Council and Mossad.¹⁴

According to Netanyahu's office and the Emirates News Agency, the meeting lasted roughly one hour and centered on enhancing UAE-Israel ties and discussing regional issues.²³

Context and background

The visit occurred while reports circulated that bin Zayed had alerted Netanyahu before the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023–a claim Netanyahu has rejected.¹³⁴

During the meeting, Netanyahu reportedly asked bin Zayed to deny the Haaretz report about the warning and to provide moral support.¹³