UAE Rarely Publicly Calls Out Israel, Quickly Denies Netanyahu’s Secret Visit Rumors

Israel has announced Netanyahu’s alleged secret visit to the UAE in a high-profile manner, but the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly denied it, exposing the latter’s sensitive mindset to avoid suspicion amid Iran’s ongoing retaliatory strikes.

During the period when the United States and Israel waged war against Iran, the claim that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE was directly refuted by UAE officials. This rare public denial by Israel’s closest Arab partner has drawn regional attention.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office previously issued a statement saying that Netanyahu had met with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and “secretly” visited the country. The Israeli side emphasized that this was Netanyahu’s first public visit to the UAE and that the trip “historically broke through” the two countries’ relations.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently released an official statement that strongly denied the above so-called visit and reports of “hosting any Israeli military delegation.”

In its statement, the UAE reiterated that all interactions between the UAE and Israel are open and transparent, strictly following the framework of the Abraham Accords formally reached in 2020, and that there are no back-channel or unofficial arrangements.

“Therefore, unless officially announced by relevant UAE authorities, any claims about unpublicized visits or private arrangements are without factual basis,” the UAE statement clearly pointed out.

When Israel announced the so-called secret-visit news, many people generally believed that the conflict was intensifying the relationship between the two countries. The UAE was at one point seen as likely to further strengthen cooperation with Israel and expand linkages in defense and economic areas.

But the UAE’s rapid denial also revealed its sensitive attitude toward not wanting to be labeled as “too close to Israel.”

Analysts noted that the UAE has endured multiple rounds of Iranian retaliatory strikes, with a total of about 2,800 missiles and drones launched at the country—partly because its relationship with Israel has warmed.

Most of the incoming weapons were intercepted by the UAE’s air defense systems, and equipment provided by the US and Israel played a key role in this process.

According to the Financial Times, during the conflict, Israel provided the UAE with the Iron Dome air defense system, new laser defense devices, lightweight reconnaissance equipment, and operators, strengthening the UAE’s air defense capabilities.

In 2020, the UAE and three other Arab countries, brokered by US President Donald Trump, signed the Abraham Accords and formally established diplomatic relations with Israel. Since then, the UAE has quickly advanced cooperation with Israel in defense, intelligence, and technology.

After the 2022 Israeli election, Netanyahu formed the country’s most right-wing government in history, and relations with the UAE cooled accordingly. After Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack sparked the war in Gaza, the bilateral relationship faced further strain.

Although Arab and Muslim countries generally expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s military actions, the UAE still insisted that the Abraham Accords align with its national strategic interests and said that, through communication channels with Israel, it could deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Since the US and Israel went to war with Iran, the UAE has become even more convinced that Israel is an increasingly important regional partner—given that the UAE has long held positions similar to Israel’s on Iran and issues involving Islamic organizations.

The UAE has long been the Gulf region’s most hardline country regarding its stance toward Iran, and it has openly criticized Arab organizations for reacting too mildly to provocations from Iran.

This stance has created differences between the UAE and other Arab countries. Many Arab countries believe that Netanyahu has drawn Trump into a war that Gulf states had already warned about and view Israel as the instigator of regional instability.

However, the UAE believes this conflict has precisely tested which partners can provide reliable support at times of crisis.

Last week, the UAE’s state news agency reported that Netanyahu had called Mohammed together with other regional leaders to condemn Iran’s “terrorist attacks” against the UAE.

In 2021, former Israeli Prime Minister and right-wing politician Naftali Bennett visited the UAE, becoming the first Israeli leader to visit the country officially.