On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid an official visit to the UAE in Abu Dhabi during a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which has alarmed Palestine after they allegedly met to discuss a warning prior to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The UAE’s state news agency confirmed on Monday the meeting, which was the first time Abu Dhabi has publicly acknowledged holding a meeting between the two leaders. In a statement, Netanyahu’s office indicated that the meeting was taking place at Sheikh Mohamed’s request and centered on closer ties and on regional problems, between Israel and the UAE.
The meeting was held at a time when reports in the Israeli paper Haaretz quoted Sheikh Mohamed as warning Netanyahu about a month and a half ago that Hamas was planning a major operation that would be carried out on Israeli ground, it was reported. The alert was not transmitted to Israeli intelligence and the military, the report said. Netanyahu refuses to comment on the report.
During their talks, Netanyahu also reminded Sheikh Mohamed that based on the information he was briefed on, he must reject any reports in Haaretz, the Associated Press reported. Netanyahu’s office has denied it was related to the report.
The UAE has not issued confirmation of the supposed warning. Since the two countries have since normalised relations via the Abraham Accords of 2020, officials here have stated that communication between Abu Dhabi and Israel has continued.
Meanwhile, the tensions are unfolding across the region, and the diplomatic activity is surrounding the Iran issue. The discussions encompassed bilateral relations and regional matters, Reuters reported, and Israeli officials told Iran was a key component in the discussions.
The visit was originally not the subject of a public announcement, and Shin Bet even complained after Netanyahu returned that he’d arrived in Sweden because of media coverage. The agency said the release expressed them security concerns.