UAE Denies Netanyahu Wartime Visit as Israel Touts 2020 Abraham Accords Ties

11 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 16

WAM, the UAE’s state news agency, denied reports that Benjamin Netanyahu visited Abu Dhabi during the Iran war and said no Israeli military delegation had been received.
The denial came after Netanyahu said he had quietly traveled to the UAE and after U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee disclosed Israel sent Iron Dome systems and personnel to help shield the UAE from Iranian attacks.
Abu Dhabi’s swift response underscored how public alignment with Israel remains politically sensitive despite formal ties under the 2020 Abraham Accords, especially after Gaza’s war killed more than 72,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel and the UAE have deepened military and economic cooperation since normalization, but Netanyahu’s publicizing of the relationship also serves his domestic political needs as he heads into an Israeli election season.
The episode highlights a wider regional split: Israel and Washington are promoting an anti-Iran bloc, while Saudi Arabia has kept channels open to Tehran and avoided deeper wartime entanglement.

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