Netanyahu Confirmed Secret UAE Trip to Blunt Bennett Threat as Poll Put Likud at 26 Seats
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 18
Netanyahu Confirmed Secret UAE Trip to Blunt Bennett Threat as Poll Put Likud at 26 Seats
4 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 18
N12 reported Netanyahu’s office disclosed his previously secret wartime UAE visit because Naftali Bennett was expected in Abu Dhabi, raising fears Bennett would appear publicly welcomed while Netanyahu remained hidden.
The PMO had confirmed last week that Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at the start of Operation Roaring Lion, but Abu Dhabi later denied any such visit and said undisclosed-trip claims were baseless.
Two sources cited by N12 said the UAE had explicitly asked that the meeting stay confidential, and Jerusalem’s decision to publicize it despite military-censor objections triggered serious diplomatic tensions.
Bennett’s office would not confirm his reported trip, while Netanyahu’s office denied N12’s account; the political sensitivity is heightened by a KAN 11 poll showing Likud on 26 seats versus 25 for a Bennett-Lapid alliance.
The dispute also reflects wider regional caution during the Iran war, with the UAE wary of appearing openly aligned with Israel after reports of security coordination and Israeli air-defense support.
Has Netanyahu’s political gamble fractured the crucial Israeli-UAE alliance against Iran?
Betrayed by an ally and attacked by Iran, can the UAE still trust the Abraham Accords for its survival?
When personal rivalries endanger wartime alliances, what is the true price of a leader's political survival?