Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deny reports that he had warned Netanyahu of a Hamas attack shortly before October 7, 2023, during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
The AP cited a person with first-hand knowledge of the meeting and a regional official briefed on the talks. Both spoke anonymously because the visit had not been announced in advance.
The UAE confirmed that the leaders met and said they discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop them. Emirati authorities did not confirm the reported request concerning the October 7 warning.
The meeting lasted about an hour, according to the AP. Israel's Channel 12 first reported Netanyahu's trip.
The visit followed a September investigation by Haaretz which reported that Mohamed bin Zayed called Netanyahu about 10 days before the Hamas-led attack and warned that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation.
Haaretz reported that the UAE president urged Netanyahu to take the threat seriously and raised measures aimed at reducing tensions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Netanyahu's office has rejected the account. It said Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president during the period in question and received no such warning. Netanyahu has threatened legal action against Haaretz, while the newspaper has said it stands by its reporting.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that Netanyahu asked Mohamed bin Zayed during Sunday's meeting to deny the account
The UAE Foreign Ministry has declined to address reports about conversations between the leaders. In a statement earlier this month, it said the UAE and Israel maintain direct communication and share relevant intelligence through the appropriate agencies.
Recent reports have also focused on Israel receiving warnings from Egypt before the October 7 attack. The Wall Street Journal reported that former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel contacted Netanyahu days before the attack about signs of an assault from Gaza. The Atlantic separately reported that Kamel travelled to Israel on September 26, 2023, and raised concerns that Hamas was preparing an attack.
Netanyahu has denied receiving such warnings from Kamel. In a statement on Monday, he said he neither met nor spoke with the Egyptian intelligence chief in the months before October 7 and said Israeli intelligence had not passed an Egyptian warning to him.
Reports of Egyptian warnings first emerged shortly after the attack. In October 2023, US Congressman Michael McCaul said after a congressional briefing that Egypt had warned Israel several days beforehand that an event of that nature was possible.
The latest reports have surfaced weeks before Israel's October parliamentary election, placing renewed attention on the government's handling of intelligence before the attack.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations under the Abraham Accords in 2020 and have since developed ties in trade, security and other areas.
HT
