Netanyahu’s Secret Visit to Abu Dhabi

On Monday, state media in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu undertook a covert visit to Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon. He met with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, often referred to as MBZ.

The Emirati state news agency WAM confirmed the visit, which was also acknowledged by Netanyahu’s office. They stated that MBZ had invited Netanyahu to discuss “strengthening relations between the two countries” and to address “regional challenges” collaboratively.

Netanyahu was not alone; he traveled with his wife Sara, his military secretary, foreign policy adviser, and leaders from the Israeli National Security Council and the Mossad intelligence agency.

According to three senior Israeli officials, the meeting lasted about six hours and centered on issues related to Iran, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

The Jerusalem Post also mentioned that Emirati officials claimed Netanyahu applied “particularly heavy” pressure on MBZ to set up the meeting. This included suggesting the possibility of “future security cooperation” as an incentive. Interestingly, this visit was initially planned for late last week, but MBZ had unexpectedly withdrawn for reasons that remain unclear.

Sources from Israel indicated to the Associated Press (AP) that a significant part of Netanyahu’s agenda for meeting with MBZ was to request him to deny media claims suggesting that MBZ had forewarned Netanyahu about the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli civilians. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office dismissed this report as “fake news,” emphasizing the potential harm it could do to Netanyahu’s re-election campaign.

Reports from Israel’s Channel 12 suggested that although Netanyahu did raise the denial of the October 7 incident, MBZ was hesitant to provide a definitive statement, wishing to avoid entanglement in Israeli political affairs.

“MBZ is not interested in getting involved in Netanyahu’s campaign. Their relationship has been strained lately,” remarked an Emirati source.

The AP also noted that during his stay in Abu Dhabi, Netanyahu met with other regional leaders, possibly including representatives from Libya, Morocco, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. This speculation arose as planes from those countries landed in Abu Dhabi at the same time as Netanyahu’s arrival.

Channel 14 reported that during the discussions on Sunday, Netanyahu and other leaders talked about “creating a regional framework to combat shared threats,” particularly focusing on Iranian proxies, such as the Houthi insurgents from Yemen, who have been in conflict with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had reportedly sought help regarding the Houthis, which Netanyahu appeared open to addressing.

Furthermore, according to Ynet News, the meeting was organized by Mossad chief Roman Goffman at the request of Saudi Arabia, looking for Israeli support against Houthi actions in the Red Sea.

Channel 14 also indicated that Netanyahu pushed for ongoing economic pressure on Iran. He urged the leaders to brace for potential last-minute attacks from Iran, encompassing possible missile or drone strikes targeting essential facilities like water desalination plants. Following the Abu Dhabi meeting, Iran reportedly threatened reprisals against countries cooperating with Israel.