UAE, Israel Leaders Discuss Bilateral Ties
News Desk
ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Netanyahu’s visit to the Gulf state on Sunday, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported.
The report was the first official confirmation from the UAE of Netanyahu’s visit. According to the Israeli prime minister’s office, Netanyahu travelled to the UAE at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed for talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations and addressing regional challenges.
Three senior Israeli officials said the meeting lasted around six hours and focused primarily on Iran.
The visit came months after the UAE denied reports that Sheikh Mohamed had met Netanyahu. In May, Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli premier had secretly travelled to the UAE and met the president. A source familiar with the meeting later said the two leaders had met in Al Ain on March 26.
Read More: https://thepenpk.com/saudi-arabia-deploys-ai-tech-to-bolster-holy-mosques-security/
Netanyahu’s latest visit also follows reports in Israeli media about an alleged warning from Sheikh Mohamed ahead of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The reports claimed that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu about the possibility of an attack but that the warning was not passed on to Israeli security agencies. Netanyahu has denied the allegation.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu travelled to the UAE to discuss the reported warning with Sheikh Mohamed.
The visit was initially kept confidential. Before Netanyahu’s office officially confirmed his destination, Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, filed a complaint over a television report that disclosed the visit.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said the disclosure violated censorship regulations and endangered the lives of the prime minister, his wife and members of the delegation, including the head of the Mossad intelligence agency. It said the visit was revealed while Netanyahu’s aircraft was still outside Israeli airspace.
Mossad also condemned the disclosure, according to the statement.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations under the 2020 Abraham Accords. Their relationship has since included diplomatic and strategic engagement, while the UAE has also maintained close ties with the United States amid continuing regional tensions.
