ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday and met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a visit that was only publicly confirmed after the Israeli leader had returned.
The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, confirmed the meeting on Monday, saying the two leaders discussed relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them. Netanyahu’s office separately said the visit focused on strengthening bilateral relations and regional challenges.
The meeting was not announced in advance. Israeli media first reported that Netanyahu had traveled to the UAE, while an Israeli official subsequently confirmed the visit. The UAE’s confirmation marked the first public acknowledgment from Abu Dhabi of the meeting.
What the two sides said
The Emirati account of the meeting was brief. WAM said the discussion centered on bilateral relations and strengthening ties between the two countries. Netanyahu’s office described the agenda more broadly, citing regional challenges.
Israeli officials cited by Reuters said the meeting lasted about six hours and focused on Iran. That detail was not included in the UAE’s public account of the meeting, so it remains an Israeli-side description of the talks rather than a jointly confirmed agenda.
The visit comes as Israel and the UAE continue diplomatic and security contacts established under the 2020 Abraham Accords. The relationship has included cooperation and direct communication despite major disagreements over the regional conflict and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Visit disclosed before official confirmation
The secrecy surrounding the trip became an issue inside Israel after Channel 12 reported on Netanyahu’s flight while the delegation was still returning.
Israel’s Shin Bet subsequently filed a complaint with the country’s chief military censor, alleging that disclosure of the trip before Netanyahu and the delegation had returned created a security risk. The Prime Minister’s Office said the flight had been reported while the aircraft was still outside Israeli airspace.
The dispute concerns the timing and security implications of the disclosure. It does not establish that the visit itself was unauthorized or that the reported security concerns were independently verified.
Reports over an alleged warning before October 7
The Abu Dhabi meeting also comes amid controversy over a recent Israeli media report concerning events before Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Haaretz reported earlier this month that Sheikh Mohamed had warned Netanyahu of an impending Hamas operation before the attack. Netanyahu’s office has denied the report. The UAE has not publicly endorsed the allegation; in an earlier September statement, its Foreign Ministry said UAE and Israeli government entities maintain direct lines of communication and that relevant intelligence is communicated between the appropriate entities.
Some Israeli media reports subsequently said the purpose of Netanyahu’s Abu Dhabi meeting was to ask Sheikh Mohamed to deny that such a warning had been given. Those reports relied on unnamed sources. Netanyahu’s office denied that the prime minister made such a request.
The reported warning therefore remains a disputed claim. The publicly confirmed fact is that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed met in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and that both governments subsequently acknowledged the meeting.
A rare publicly acknowledged meeting
The disclosure is notable because an earlier reported Netanyahu visit to the UAE in March was denied by Abu Dhabi at the time. In May, the UAE explicitly rejected reports that Netanyahu had visited the country or that an Israeli military delegation had been received there.
The latest visit was different: Abu Dhabi itself publicly confirmed the meeting and described its purpose as strengthening bilateral relations.
Neither government has publicly released a detailed transcript of the discussion, and the full agenda of the meeting remains unclear beyond the topics identified in their respective statements.
Reporting Credit: United Arab Emirates state media (WAM); Israeli Prime Minister’s Office statements as reported in the available reporting; UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
