UAE confirms Israel PM Netanyahu’s visit to Abu Dhabi
The visit took place as the Israeli prime minister battles domestic turmoil ahead of October's Knesset elections.
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a visit to the country over the weekend.
The confirmation late on Monday came a day after the Israeli leader made the secret trip to the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. The visit took place a month before Israeli elections and amid controversy over reports alleging that Bin Zayed, known as MBZ, had warned Netanyahu that a major Hamas operation was likely just ahead of the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them,” the official Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported on Monday. The meeting was earlier reported in the Israeli press.
Netanyahu said the following day that he would sue Haaretz, calling its report “fabricated” and “politically motivated”.