By Saqib S. Qureshi — SCN News
ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates on Monday publicly confirmed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previously unannounced visit, saying President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received the Israeli leader and discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them. The statement by the state-run Emirates News Agency, WAM, was the UAE’s first official confirmation of Netanyahu’s Sunday trip.
Netanyahu’s office separately confirmed that the prime minister travelled at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed and said the meeting focused on strengthening relations between Israel and the UAE as well as regional challenges. Three senior Israeli officials told Reuters the talks lasted about six hours and were focused on Iran, providing the clearest account so far of the substance behind a visit that had initially been disclosed only through Israeli officials and media reports.
The UAE’s confirmation is a significant new development from Sunday’s initial reporting because Abu Dhabi has now formally acknowledged both the visit and the presidential-level meeting. WAM’s account was brief, saying the leaders discussed UAE-Israel bilateral relations and ways of strengthening and further developing them, without publicly detailing discussions concerning Iran, Gaza or other regional conflicts.
The Israeli statement went further by identifying regional challenges as part of the talks. Reuters reported that the three senior Israeli officials said Iran dominated the six-hour meeting, which came as the Middle East remains under severe strain from the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and continuing uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting also came days after Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York and as Washington and Tehran remain divided over attempts to halt the fighting. President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and move toward an end to hostilities, although he has indicated that he expects negotiations with Tehran to continue.
The UAE has particular exposure to the regional confrontation because of its location on the Gulf and its commercial dependence on secure maritime routes. Since coming under attack during the Iran war, Abu Dhabi has strengthened relations with both Washington and Israel, Reuters reported. The UAE established formal diplomatic ties with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.
Sunday’s meeting therefore took place against a markedly different regional backdrop from the one in which the Abraham Accords were signed. UAE-Israel relations initially expanded heavily through investment, trade, tourism and technology, while the current conflict has put greater emphasis on security coordination and high-level political communication.
The visit was not announced beforehand. Israeli media reported Sunday that Netanyahu had travelled to Abu Dhabi, and a senior Israeli official subsequently confirmed the meeting to Reuters. WAM’s statement on Monday transformed what had been an Israeli-sourced account into an officially acknowledged visit by both governments.
It also marks a change from an earlier dispute over Netanyahu’s contacts with Sheikh Mohamed. Earlier this year, the UAE denied that the two leaders had met after Netanyahu’s office said in May that the Israeli prime minister had secretly visited the country. A source familiar with the matter later told Reuters that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed had met in Al-Ain on March 26.
Sunday’s trip has separately attracted attention because of a dispute over reports concerning the period immediately before the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Haaretz reported this month that Sheikh Mohamed had warned Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before the attack that Hamas was planning a major operation. Netanyahu has denied the report and threatened legal action against the newspaper.
The UAE Foreign Ministry has not confirmed that alleged conversation. In a Sept. 8 statement responding to media reporting, it said the government does not comment on speculation about conversations between leaders and stressed that UAE and Israeli government entities have maintained open and direct communications since diplomatic relations were established. It added that relevant intelligence has been communicated between the appropriate entities when necessary.
The latest official UAE account made no reference to the Oct. 7 controversy. WAM confined its report to bilateral relations and efforts to strengthen ties, while Netanyahu’s office referred to regional challenges. Reuters’ report that senior Israeli officials identified Iran as the main subject therefore remains separate from the UAE’s publicly stated description of the meeting.
The confirmation nevertheless establishes that direct contacts between the two governments remain active despite the regional wars and continuing disagreements surrounding Gaza. The UAE has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel throughout the conflict while also publicly calling for de-escalation, regional stability and measures to prevent further violence.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Sheikh Mohamed follows a week of intensive Middle East diplomacy around the UN General Assembly, where Iran, Gaza, the Strait of Hormuz and regional security dominated discussions among leaders. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his UN appearance to say Iran could not be forced to surrender while keeping open the possibility of diplomacy with Washington.
The UAE statement now provides the first official Emirati confirmation that Netanyahu moved directly from that wider diplomatic period into talks with Sheikh Mohamed. With Israeli officials saying Iran occupied much of the six-hour discussion, the meeting adds another high-level Gulf channel to the diplomatic activity surrounding the conflict.
Neither government announced a new agreement after the meeting, and WAM did not disclose specific decisions or initiatives resulting from the talks. The confirmed development is that Sheikh Mohamed received Netanyahu during his Sunday visit, the two governments discussed their bilateral relationship, Israel says regional challenges were also addressed, and senior Israeli officials told Reuters that Iran was the principal focus.