Report: Netanyahu Revealed Secret UAE Visit Over Bennett Abu Dhabi Plans

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reportedly confirmed his secret wartime visit to the United Arab Emirates after learning that former prime minister Naftali Bennett was expected to travel to Abu Dhabi, according to N12.

The report said the concern inside the Prime Minister’s Office was that Bennett’s expected visit would create the impression that Netanyahu was “not a welcome guest” in the UAE, while Bennett was being received openly by senior Emirati officials.

Netanyahu has long presented the Abraham Accords and Israel’s ties with Gulf states as one of his main diplomatic achievements. Bennett, a former right-wing prime minister and former Netanyahu ally, has reemerged as a challenger who can compete with Netanyahu on security, diplomacy and leadership.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed last Wednesday that Netanyahu had visited the UAE during Operation Roaring Lion and met Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The PMO described the visit as a “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the UAE.

Reuters reported that the meeting took place in Al Ain on March 26 and lasted several hours, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The UAE later issued an unusually sharp denial. The Emirati Foreign Ministry said reports that Netanyahu had visited the country, or that the UAE had received an Israeli military delegation, were false.

The ministry said UAE ties with Israel are public, were established under the Abraham Accords, and are “not based on secrecy or hidden arrangements.” It added that any claims about undeclared visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by official Emirati authorities.

According to N12, Abu Dhabi had explicitly asked Israel to keep the meeting confidential. The report said the PMO authorized publication despite the military censor’s preference to keep the visit under wraps and despite accepted diplomatic norms in Israel’s relationship with the UAE.

N12 said the decision was driven by “a completely political interest, not a diplomatic one.” The report said Netanyahu’s office acted after learning that Bennett was expected to visit the UAE and meet Sheikh Mohammed and other senior officials.

Bennett’s office did not confirm the details of the reported visit and did not say whether such a trip had taken place. Netanyahu’s office denied the N12 report.

The Bennett factor made the issue politically sensitive for Netanyahu. If Bennett were seen meeting openly with the UAE leadership while Netanyahu’s own wartime meeting remained secret, it could damage Netanyahu’s claim that he is Israel’s strongest diplomatic operator in the Gulf.

That concern comes as Bennett is again being discussed as a serious political threat to Netanyahu. A KAN 11 poll published last week found that a Bennett-Yair Lapid framework was the only political bloc close to challenging Likud, with Netanyahu’s party receiving 26 seats and Bennett’s Together Party, if merged with Lapid, reaching 25.

The UAE’s position also reflected broader regional caution. During the Iran war, reports emerged of Israeli-UAE coordination, including claims that Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief David Zini visited the UAE, and that Israel provided Iron Dome batteries to help protect the Gulf state.

Abu Dhabi has sought to avoid being portrayed as openly aligned with Israel’s anti-Iran front, especially after Tehran warned against cooperation with Israel. That made any public claim of secret Israeli activity in the UAE particularly sensitive.

The dispute has left competing versions in place: Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu made a historic wartime visit, the UAE denied it happened, Bennett’s office stayed silent on its own reported plans, and N12 said the disclosure was driven by Netanyahu’s fear of Bennett’s Abu Dhabi optics.