UAE Denies Secret Meeting Between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed

The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry denied on Wednesday a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that he visited the country and held a secret meeting with its president. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said earlier he travelled to the UAE during the war with Iran and met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. A statement by the Emirati foreign ministry said that Emirati relations with Israel “are public” and “not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”. “Any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE,” the statement said. Netanyahu’s office said the meeting resulted in a “historic breakthrough” in relations between the two countries. A source familiar with the meeting said Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed met in Al-Ain, an oasis city by the Oman border, on March 26 and that their meeting lasted several hours. The source said that Mossad chief Dedi Barnea made at least two visits to the UAE during the war with Iran to coordinate military actions. The intelligence chief’s visit was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.