Netanyahu reportedly meets UAE President in Abu Dhabi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday and met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed

ABU DHABI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday and met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, according to a foreign news agency.

The report said the two leaders held a meeting during Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE. However, neither the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office provided an official comment on the reported visit or meeting.

The development comes months after a similar episode in May, when Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli premier would visit the UAE and meet with the Emirati president. At the time, Emirati authorities denied that the meeting had taken place.

The latest report has therefore not been independently confirmed by the UAE or Israel.

Moreover, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not relay an alleged warning from United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan about a possible major Hamas attack to Israel’s top security officials before the October 7, 2023 assault, according to a report by The New York Times.

The newspaper, citing two people familiar with the conversation, reported that Sheikh Mohammed contacted Netanyahu in late September 2023 and warned him that Hamas was considering a significant attack. The warning, however, reportedly did not clarify whether the group was preparing a rocket barrage or a ground operation.

Five former senior Israeli officials told the newspaper that the information did not reach the country’s security leadership.

According to meeting minutes reviewed by The New York Times, Netanyahu held a meeting with senior security officials on October 1 to discuss the situation in Gaza but did not refer to the warning from the UAE president.

Instead, the minutes reportedly show that Netanyahu advocated maintaining calm in Gaza and opposed proposals from some security officials to consider military action against senior Hamas leaders.

The report said Netanyahu was concerned that escalating military operations in Gaza could undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at establishing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The alleged September conversation has previously been disputed. Netanyahu denied receiving such a warning after Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported earlier this month that the call had taken place.

The New York Times further reported that Sheikh Mohammed later discussed the September 2023 conversation with then-CIA Director William Burns. According to the report, the UAE president said he had warned Netanyahu about a developing threat from Hamas in Gaza or the occupied West Bank.

The report comes amid continued scrutiny of Israel’s security and political leadership over the events preceding the October 7 attack, particularly questions surrounding warnings received before the assault and how they were handled.