Why Netanyahu was desperate for a UAE meeting before Israeli elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly made an unannounced visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, meeting President Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi after weeks of alleged Israeli pressure to secure the talks.

Days earlier, however, another planned visit had been cancelled at the last minute.

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Monday that the earlier visit had been fully arranged, with the Israeli side reportedly told shortly before Netanyahu was due to depart that Mohammed bin Zayed was not in the country.

According to the newspaper, however, subsequent checks indicated that the Emirati president was in Abu Dhabi at the time.

The revelations have raised questions over whether Mohammed bin Zayed had initially sought to avoid meeting Netanyahu, and why the Israeli leader was reportedly so determined to secure a visit weeks before Israel's 27 October election.

Why was Netanyahu desperate for a meeting?

Netanyahu reportedly placed considerable pressure on the UAE to arrange a visit before Israel's parliamentary election next month.

Emirati sources cited by Maariv described the pressure as "very heavy", reportedly involving telephone calls, approaches through associates and international intermediaries, and even references to future security cooperation.

The newspaper linked Netanyahu's efforts partly to a growing political controversy over reports that Mohammed bin Zayed had warned him about the possibility of a major Hamas operation shortly before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israeli military bases and civilian settlements within and around the Gaza envelope.

Haaretz reported earlier this month that Mohammed bin Zayed spoke to Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before the attack and warned him that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning significant action that could cause bloodshed and destabilise the region.

Netanyahu's office rejected the report, saying no such warning was given to the prime minister.

The UAE later said security matters with other countries are handled through the relevant agencies and that details of this kind are not discussed at the level of national leaders, a response The National characterised as rejecting the claim of a direct warning from Mohammed bin Zayed.

The alleged warning has become a contentious issue during Israel's election campaign, renewing scrutiny over what information reached Netanyahu and Israel's political leadership before 7 October, and why action was not taken to avert the attack.

Did Mohammed bin Zayed try to avoid the meeting?

There has been no official confirmation that Mohammed bin Zayed personally refused to meet Netanyahu, but Maariv's account suggests the UAE pulled out of an earlier planned visit at the last minute.

According to the newspaper, preparations had been completed for Netanyahu to travel to the Emirates several days before Sunday's eventual meeting. The visit was supposed to remain secret and only be disclosed after it had concluded.

"Everything was ready, the delegation was organised, and the cancellation message arrived shortly before departure," an unnamed informed source told Maariv.

The newspaper said the Emirati side then claimed Mohammed bin Zayed was "not in the country".

A subsequent check, however, indicated that the UAE president was in Abu Dhabi at the time, according to the report. The claim has not been publicly confirmed by Emirati officials.

A source speaking to Maariv at the time of the earlier cancellation said Mohammed bin Zayed did not want to become part of Netanyahu's election campaign and described relations between the two as having been troubled for some time.

The same source suggested that an unofficial and indirect denial published in the UAE ahead of a Jewish holiday may have been intended to compensate Netanyahu for the cancellation.

Despite the setback, Israeli efforts to secure a meeting continued and Netanyahu eventually travelled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday. A senior Israeli official confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu met Mohammed bin Zayed during the visit.

Israel Hayom reported on Monday that Netanyahu was accompanied by senior Israeli security officials, including Mossad chief Roman Gofman, National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra and a senior official from the Shin Bet's VIP protection unit, as well as senior officials from the prime minister's office.

The newspaper said the delegation spent around six hours in the UAE, with Netanyahu meeting Mohammed bin Zayed for several hours.

In May, Netanyahu's office said he had secretly visited the Emirates during the war with Iran and met Mohammed bin Zayed. The UAE publicly denied that the visit had taken place, calling reports of unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements unfounded unless officially announced by Emirati authorities.

What did Netanyahu reportedly ask MBZ to do?

Haaretz, citing Emirati sources, reported that Sunday's eventual meeting took place at the airport and that Netanyahu asked Mohammed bin Zayed to deny reports concerning their alleged pre-7 October phone call.

According to the report, Netanyahu also asked the Emirati president to deny other details relating to October 7 that could cause him political embarrassment and sought what was described as "moral support".

Those claims have not been publicly confirmed by Netanyahu's office or the UAE.

The visit itself was not announced in advance, and neither Netanyahu's office nor the UAE Foreign Ministry immediately commented on it.

No official Emirati statement has since been issued about the visit, while major UAE media outlets have not reported on it, raising questions over whether its disclosure was coordinated with Abu Dhabi or whether details emerged from the Israeli side without Emirati approval.