The United Arab Emirates has formally confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a private visit to the country this past weekend. The state-run Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported on Monday that the leaders held discussions focused on strengthening and developing bilateral relations between the two nations. The session follows the formal normalization of ties initiated by the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords.
This diplomatic meeting occurred as Netanyahu prepares for Israel’s upcoming Knesset elections in October, where he faces significant challenges, including trailing in current polls behind former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The timing of the trip has drawn attention due to persistent controversy surrounding allegations that the UAE president warned the Israeli leadership of a potential Hamas offensive shortly before the October 7, 2023, attack.
A report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on September 9 alleged that Bin Zayed had contacted Netanyahu roughly ten days before the October 7 assault, relaying a warning from then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar about an impending “huge surprise.” The newspaper further claimed that the UAE president had alerted Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency regarding the threat. In response, Netanyahu vehemently rejected these claims, labeling the reporting as “fabricated” and “politically motivated,” and he has expressed intentions to sue the publication. According to israeli newspaper Haaretz, On September 9 that the UAE president spoke to Netanyahu on the phone about 10 days before the attack, warning him of a threat made by then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he was prepari.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of at least 1,195 people in southern Israel, with approximately 250 individuals taken captive. In the ensuing conflict, which escalated into a genocidal war on Gaza, at least 73,669 Palestinians have been killed. Amid these domestic pressures, Netanyahu’s office has consistently maintained that the prime minister received no advanced intelligence regarding the Hamas operation.
The confirmation of the visit follows earlier reports from Israel’s Channel 12. Following that coverage, the Shin Bet intelligence agency reportedly filed a formal complaint with the Israeli military censor, arguing that the exposure of the trip and its associated intelligence details threatened the prime minister’s security and compromised the agency’s operational methods.
Strategic security cooperation between the two nations has remained active, highlighted by the deployment of Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems and personnel to the UAE earlier this May. According to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, this deployment was intended to bolster regional defenses against potential threats from Iran.
