Opposition Leader Yair Lapid concluded a brief visit to Abu Dhabi where he met with the Emirati president and foreign minister, he said Friday, reportedly leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s associates to accuse the United Arab Emirates of “political interference” in Israel.
Lapid said on X that he discussed “regional developments and the utmost importance of returning all the hostages” in his meetings with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president’s younger brother.
Lapid published a photo from his meeting with the foreign minister, but not from his meeting with the president, which Lapid said took place in the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.
During the visit, Lapid gave an interview to Sky News Arabia, in which he urged the Arab world to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza, and said the 12-day war with Iran last month reminded the Middle East that Israel is a military superpower.
Meanwhile, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Netanyahu’s associates had told Emirati officials that inviting Lapid to Abu Dhabi constituted inappropriate interference in Israel’s internal affairs.
Netanyahu has yet to meet the UAE president or be invited to visit the UAE since signing the Abraham Accords, which normalized ties with Abu Dhabi in 2020. A source involved in Israeli-Emirati relations said Netanyahu “may soon be invited,” Kan reported, seen as likely being conditioned on the end of the Gaza war.
Netanyahu’s associates reportedly assailed the Emiratis’ conduct around Lapid’s visit, saying: “We see this as political interference. You can’t invite the opposition leader before you invite the head of state.”
“Especially after the attack on Iran and the prime minister’s decision [to strike there], we expected different conduct. Apparently, fear of Iran outweighs good judgment,” said the unnamed premier’s associates, according to Kan.
Israel’s strikes against Iran targeted the Islamic Republic’s military leadership, nuclear program and missile capabilities, which also spooked Arab Gulf nations — several of which, including the UAE, host US military bases and feared they would be targeted by the Islamic Republic.