Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi yesterday and met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a senior Israeli official has revealed. However, neither government has issued an official statement about the meeting so far.
The visit comes amid growing criticism following a report by the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’, which claimed that Sheikh Mohamed warned Netanyahu about two weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, but that Netanyahu did not share the information with the security agencies. Netanyahu has denied the report and said he would take legal action against the newspaper. With elections approaching, opposition parties are accusing him of security failures.
Although the UAE has not commented directly on the report, a UAE source previously said that security consultations take place between the relevant institutions, not at the level of leaders.
While Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders met in Al Ain on March 26, the UAE denied that report.
Security ties between the two countries, which established diplomatic relations under the US-brokered ‘Abraham Accords’ in 2020, have grown stronger amid the ongoing war against Iran.
