Netanyahu holds secret Abu Dhabi meeting amid Iran-US tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secretive visit to the United Arab Emirates even as the world's attention was fixed on military tensions between Iran and the United States, adding a fresh twist to an already volatile situation in the Middle East.

Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and held talks on serious issues, it has been claimed. Officials from both countries have not directly confirmed the visit, but it has intensified activity in Gulf diplomacy.

Netanyahu is understood to have travelled to Abu Dhabi by special aircraft. Most Muslim countries in the Middle East have traditionally viewed Israel as an adversary, but the UAE has taken a different path. As part of the historic Abraham Accords in 2020, the UAE established full diplomatic relations with Israel. Since then, trade, technology and security cooperation between the two countries has grown rapidly. With the threat of a possible war with Iran looming, the UAE is seeking to strengthen its security arrangements with both Washington and Jerusalem.

Netanyahu's latest secret visit is also tied to a separate controversy. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz had recently claimed that about 10 days before Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the UAE president himself had given Netanyahu advance information about a major military operation. The report also alleged that this warning, despite being received in time, was not passed on to Israel's security agencies.

Netanyahu has completely rejected the claim, calling it entirely false and misleading, and has warned of legal action against the newspaper concerned. However, with elections due in Israel, opposition parties have begun targeting Netanyahu over the issue, calling it a major security lapse and questioning his leadership and policies.

This is not the first secret meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. Several closed-door meetings between the two leaders have come to light in the past. The two leaders met on March 26 this year in the Al Ain oasis city near Abu Dhabi, close to the border with Oman. The UAE initially denied that meeting, but the Israeli PM's office confirmed the secret visit in May.

The behind-the-scenes cooperation between the UAE and Israel is seen as significant in dealing with growing Iranian aggression and rising tensions in the region. The Abraham Accords opened a new chapter in Israel's relations with the Arab world. Amid the current situation, the UAE is a country that can speak directly with both the United States and Israel. With Iran's attention fixed on the US, Netanyahu's latest secret meeting could shape new security equations in the Middle East going forward.