Netanyahu's UAE Trip Postponed Last Week, Wife Sara Joined

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United Arab Emirates, which took place yesterday, was initially scheduled for the previous week, before his address at the UN General Assembly. This was reported by Kan News on Monday evening. According to the report, Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, accompanied him on the trip.

The prime minister's departure was nearly finalized last week but was postponed at the last minute after the UAE informed Israel that President Mohammed bin Zayed was unavailable. The visit occurred amidst controversy surrounding reports of various warnings Netanyahu received before the October 7th Hamas attacks, including a Haaretz newspaper report about an alert he received from bin Zayed.

Netanyahu's flight was on a business jet belonging to an Israeli businessman, which is used by senior Israeli officials for international travel. He departed from Ben Gurion Airport shortly after 12 p.m. and landed in Abu Dhabi at 3:10 p.m. The plane took off for Israel four hours later, at 7:10 p.m., landing shortly before 10 p.m. This same aircraft was used by Netanyahu for a previous trip to Abu Dhabi during the conflict with Iran.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that during the visit, Netanyahu asked bin Zayed to deny reports that he had warned Netanyahu of a Hamas attack prior to October 7th. The article also references related reports, including a statement from Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet, responding to Netanyahu regarding an "unbridled incitement campaign" and vowing to sue him, and a report that the Egyptian intelligence chief contacted Netanyahu days before October 7th.