A diplomatic rift has opened between Israel and the United Arab Emirates after Abu Dhabi dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that he had paid a secret visit to the Gulf state. Netanyahu’s office said the premier made a secret trip to the UAE to meet with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, calling the meeting a “historic breakthrough” in bilateral ties. But the UAE foreign ministry was quick to issue a blunt denial, describing the reports as “completely baseless” and denying that it had received such a meeting or Israeli military delegation.
The public spat highlights how fragile the alliance, formalized in the 2020 Abraham Accords, remains. The two countries have quietly deepened cooperation on security and intelligence, particularly in the wake of recent regional missile and drone threats from Iran to air defense collaborations, but Abu Dhabi remains very sensitive to public optics. Analysts say Netanyahu may have made public the alleged March meeting to bolster his position in domestic politics for coming Israeli elections.
The UAE’s diplomatic ties with Israel are “public and transparent,” the country’s official statement said, dismissing any “non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.” Its quick and tough denial underscores the delicate balancing act Abu Dhabi is playing, trying to keep pragmatic security ties with Israel while managing its wider relations in the Arab world and avoiding escalation with its regional rivals.
