The United Arab Emirates denied Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the Persian Gulf nation, after the Israeli leader’s office released a statement about the trip.
“The UAE would like to emphasize that its relations with Israel are crystal clear and were established within the clear framework determined by the Abraham Accords — meaning they are not conducted through secretive back-channeling,” the ministry added.
The Abraham Accords were agreements signed during US President Donald Trump’s previous term, under which the UAE and and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel. Expanding the Abraham accords to include other Arab states has been a top foreign policy goal for the Trump administration.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry stressed that “allegations regarding unannounced visits or arrangements are not rooted in truth by any means” unless announced through official UAE channels.
Netanyahu’s office said earlier today that the prime minister made a “covert visit” to the UAE during the US-Israel war with Iran and met with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Netanyahu’s office said the visit yielded a “historic breakthrough” in relations between the two countries. It did not say when the visit occurred or elaborate on the reported breakthrough.
In a Facebook post before the UAE’s denial, Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, Ziv Agmon, said he accompanied the prime minister on that trip and that Netanyahu was “received in Abu Dhabi with royal honors.”
Following the visit announcement, Iran threatened to hold those “colluding with Israel” to account.
“Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X. “Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable.”
