Netanyahu secretly visits UAE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates on September 27, where he met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Israeli Kan TV channel reported. The trip lasted several hours. The office of the Prime Minister of Israel has not announced it.

For the flight, Benjamin Netanyahu used an Israeli businessman’s private jet, which is also rented by other senior officials. The visit took place during the scandal surrounding the publication of the Haaretz newspaper that Sheikh bin Zayed allegedly warned Mr. Netanyahu about the impending attack by Hamas on the eve of October 7, 2023. According to Haaretz, Benjamin Netanyahu did not pass this information to the special services.

The publication in Haaretz was timed to coincide with the publication of the book of journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval “Hostages: 843 days of inaction”, based on the testimony of dozens of sources. Benjamin Netanyahu has denied all charges against him. UAE officials also did not comment on the publication. Israeli opposition leaders have again accused the government of negligence and called for the creation of a state commission to investigate the events of October 7, 2023.