Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret flight to Abu Dhabi on a private aircraft for an unannounced meeting with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The visit was kept secret until Israeli news outlets disclosed details while the Israeli delegation was still traveling in the Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates state news agency later confirmed the meeting, reporting that the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and methods to strengthen cooperation between Israel and the UAE.
According to Israeli media reports and information cited by Reuters, Netanyahu flew to the Emirati capital on a private plane to meet Sheikh Mohamed. Reports indicated that the visit was intended to remain confidential until the return of the official delegation to Israel. The traveling party reportedly included Roman Gofman, the head of the Mossad intelligence agency, along with officials from Israel's National Security Council.
Censorship complaint over flight details
The leak of the visit by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 triggered a swift response from Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service. Shin Bet submitted a formal complaint to the head of military censorship in Israel, requesting legal proceedings against the television station for violating military censorship regulations.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office defended the complaint, stating that publishing information about the trip while the aircraft was still outside Israeli airspace posed a direct security risk to Netanyahu, his wife, and members of the delegation. In Israel, military censorship rules require news organizations to submit reports concerning prime ministerial travel and sensitive security operations for clearance prior to publication.
Dispute over October 7 warning
The timing of the Abu Dhabi meeting comes amid ongoing political scrutiny in Israel regarding intelligence prior to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Israeli media reports, including published accounts in the newspaper Haaretz, had previously stated that Sheikh Mohamed warned Netanyahu shortly before the October 7 assault that a major military operation was impending.
Netanyahu has publicly denied receiving any advance warning from the Emirati leader concerning the attack. According to Israeli news reports, one of the central objectives of the Abu Dhabi meeting was to address the controversy directly and clarify the exact nature of the communications between the two leaders before the October 7 attack occurred.
Diplomatic ties under the Abraham Accords
Diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates were formally established in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements brokered by the United States. The accords marked a major shift in Middle Eastern diplomacy, leading to economic, security, and diplomatic partnerships between Israel and several Arab nations.
Despite increased diplomatic pressure and regional tensions arising from the ongoing war in Gaza, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have maintained operational communication channels at both diplomatic and security levels. The secrecy surrounding the Abu Dhabi trip, combined with the Shin Bet security complaint and internal political debates in Israel, underscores the broader significance of the meeting beyond standard bilateral diplomacy.
