Netanyahu's UAE Visit Postponed Last Minute Due to President's Absence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flight to the United Arab Emirates, which took place yesterday, was initially scheduled for the previous week, prior to his UN General Assembly speech. This information was reported by Kan News. The Prime Minister's office confirmed that his wife, Sara Netanyahu, accompanied him on the trip. According to sources familiar with the matter, Netanyahu's meeting in the Emirates, as well as a prior meeting during Operation "Desert Iron," involved senior officials from several Gulf states discussing the Iranian issue. Israel does not have official relations with some of these countries.

The Prime Minister's departure was nearly finalized last week but was postponed at the last minute when the UAE informed Israel that President Mohammed bin Zayed was not present in the country. The visit occurred amidst controversy surrounding reports of various warnings Netanyahu received before the October 7th attacks, including a Haaretz newspaper report about a warning from bin Zayed.

Netanyahu traveled on a business jet belonging to an Israeli businessman, which is used by 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 return flight to Israel departed at 7:10 p.m., four hours after landing, and arrived shortly after 10 p.m. This same aircraft was used by Netanyahu for a previous flight to Abu Dhabi during the war with Iran.

Today, the Associated Press reported that during the visit, Netanyahu asked bin Zayed to deny reports that he had warned him of a Hamas attack before October 7th. The Prime Minister's office denied these claims, stating, "The visit dealt solely with strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges."