Netanyahu's secret Abu Dhabi trip: Six hours, heavy pressure, and an election looming

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent six hours on the ground in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, in a visit dominated by talks on Iran with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (MBZ), sources told The Jerusalem Post. 

The two leaders had also spoken several times by phone in the weeks leading up to the meeting.

The trip did not come easily. According to sources familiar with the matter, Netanyahu applied heavy pressure on the Emiratis to arrange a meeting before Israel's elections. 

Emirati officials described that pressure as "particularly heavy," saying it included phone calls, efforts by Netanyahu's associates and international officials, and even hints about future security cooperation.

An earlier visit had already been scheduled several days ago, with all preparations complete. The trip was meant to stay secret and be made public only after it took place, but it was canceled at the last minute. 

"Everything was already ready, the delegation was organized, and a cancellation notice arrived shortly before takeoff," a source told Maariv. The Emiratis reportedly "reversed course" and claimed MBZ "was not in the country," though a subsequent check indicated he was in Abu Dhabi at the time.

The Haaretz shadow

Netanyahu's insistence also stems from the fallout from a Haaretz report that MBZ phoned him shortly before October 7, 2023, and issued an explicit warning of an "earthquake" in Gaza. 

A source told Maariv that an unofficial, non-explicit denial published in the Emirates on the eve of the holiday "was intended to compensate Netanyahu for the cancellation of his visit." The source added: "MBZ does not want to take part in Netanyahu's campaign. Relations between the two have been strained for some time."

As of publication, the UAE had issued no official statement on the visit, and its main media outlets had not reported it. 

The open question is whether publication of the trip was coordinated with the Emiratis this time, or whether, once again, news of the visit leaked in Israel against their wishes. The precedent is not reassuring: in May, Netanyahu's office announced a secret March visit to the UAE, which Abu Dhabi flatly denied.