Netanyahu Denies Asking UAE President to Retract Hamas Warning
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed his meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (27/09). Both governments confirmed the meeting on Monday evening (28/09).
“Both sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel, as well as ways to strengthen and develop them,” stated the UAE government.
The Prime Minister’s office in Tel Aviv expressed a similar sentiment, asserting that Netanyahu’s visit “focused on strengthening relations between the two nations and regional challenges.”
The secret visit took place several weeks after surprising reports from Israeli media suggested that the UAE President had warned Netanyahu regarding the threat of Hamas attacks before the deadly assault on Israel on 7 October 2023. It was alleged that Netanyahu failed to pass these warnings to Israeli security agencies.
Israeli television station Channel 12 reported on Monday (28/09) that the purpose of Netanyahu’s visit was to request that Sheikh Mohamed deny having ever issued such a warning. Netanyahu’s office has denied that the Prime Minister made such a request. A similar denial was issued regarding the initial reports of the warning from the UAE.
Israeli Security Agency Files Complaint Against Channel 12
Before Netanyahu’s visit was confirmed, Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, filed a complaint against Channel 12 on Monday (28/09). The media outlet was accused of violating censorship regulations by reporting on the visit before Netanyahu had returned to Israel.
“Tonight, Shin Bet submitted a complaint to the Head of Military Censorship and demanded that Channel 12 be processed with the utmost severity in accordance with applicable law, following a serious violation of censorship rules,” stated Netanyahu’s office.
The statement noted that the Channel 12 report was published while the Prime Minister’s plane was still outside Israeli airspace, thereby “endangering the lives of the Prime Minister and his wife, as well as the delegation, which included the head of the Mossad intelligence agency and other high-ranking security officials.”
Israel-UAE Diplomatic Relations
Sheikh Mohamed’s decision to host Netanyahu is a significant development, particularly as the Israeli leader is viewed by many in the Middle East as a primary driver of the war in Gaza. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians, many of whom were civilians.
This meeting also marks the first time the UAE has officially acknowledged a meeting between the two leaders, after previously denying reports of Netanyahu’s visit to the country in May.
The UAE is one of the few Arab nations to maintain official diplomatic relations with Israel. These ties were established after the UAE signed the Abraham Accords during the first administration of US President Donald Trump in 2020.
The UAE condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 as a “serious and grave escalation” and expressed “shock” at reports of Israeli citizens being taken hostage. However, relations between the two nations have become strained due to the Israeli war in Gaza, with the UAE condemning “ongoing Israeli violations” in Palestinian territories.
Nevertheless, Israel reportedly deployed the Iron Dome air defence system to the UAE, along with personnel to operate it, during the conflict with Iran, when the Gulf nation faced retaliatory strikes from Tehran.