Arabian Post Staff -Dubai
Netanyahu flew to the UAE capital aboard a private aircraft and remained there for four hours before returning to Israel that evening. Flight details cited in accounts of the journey placed the aircraft’s arrival in Abu Dhabi at about 3.10pm and its departure at about 7.10pm.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not comment on the meeting or its agenda. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued no statement confirming the visit, leaving the substance of the leaders’ discussions undisclosed.
The lack of official announcement was notable because Abu Dhabi has previously stressed that its relationship with Israel is conducted through declared diplomatic channels. In May, the UAE denied an Israeli claim that Netanyahu had secretly visited the country, saying relations between the two states were public, operating within the framework of the Abraham Accords.
Sunday’s trip, however, was corroborated by a senior Israeli official who said Netanyahu had visited Abu Dhabi and met Sheikh Mohamed. No details emerged on who else attended, whether formal delegations participated or what issues were discussed.
The meeting took place against a political backdrop in Israel, where renewed attention has focused on claims concerning communications between Sheikh Mohamed and Netanyahu before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Those claims centre on an allegation that the UAE leader warned Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack that Hamas was preparing a major operation. Netanyahu has rejected the allegation, describing it as false, while the UAE has avoided confirming accounts of conversations between the two leaders.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on September 8 that the government does not comment on media stories or speculation concerning conversations between government leaders. It said the UAE’s engagement since October 7 had been directed towards de-escalation, regional stability and preventing violence.
The ministry also said UAE and Israeli government entities had maintained open and direct communication since bilateral relations were established more than five years ago. Relevant intelligence, when necessary, was communicated between the appropriate entities, it added.
A UAE official source subsequently said security matters with other countries were discussed through the relevant entities and that such details were not handled at the level of national leaders. That position added to the uncertainty surrounding claims about any pre-October 7 warning involving the two men.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations in September 2020 under the Abraham Accords and opened embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv the following year. Despite regional strains from the Gaza war and subsequent conflicts, official channels between the two governments have remained open.
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly called for de-escalation and a political settlement based on a two-state solution, while maintaining diplomatic engagement with Israel. UAE officials have also pressed for protection of civilians, humanitarian access to Gaza and efforts to prevent wider regional confrontation.
Netanyahu’s reported visit came days after he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and as Israel faces an election campaign in which security failures surrounding the October 7 attack remain a major political issue.
The circumstances of Sunday’s journey differed from publicly announced official travel. The trip was made on a private executive aircraft rather than being announced through the usual government channels, and no public programme, joint statement, photographs or official readout had been released by either side by Monday morning.
Accounts of the flight indicated that the aircraft left Ben Gurion Airport shortly after noon and landed in Abu Dhabi at 3.10pm. It departed four hours later at 7.10pm and returned to Israel later that evening.
Also published on Medium.
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