Emirati commentator Ahmed Khalifa has openly defended the United Arab Emirates’ relationship with Israel following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Abu Dhabi, insisting that the relationship between the two countries is neither secret nor dependent on anyone’s approval.
In a post on X, Khalifa wrote: “The UAE received Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Not a leak. An official visit. We don’t sneak around. Our relationship with Israel is public & we’re not asking anyone’s permission!”
His comments came after the UAE officially confirmed that Netanyahu visited the country and met with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to the UAE’s state news agency, WAM, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.
The development has attracted considerable attention because of the broader political and security tensions surrounding Israel and the Middle East. Reuters reported that the meeting lasted several hours and focused on strengthening bilateral relations as well as regional challenges, particularly developments involving Iran.
The UAE and Israel formally established diplomatic relations in September 2020 through the Abraham Accords, a US-brokered normalization agreement that marked a major shift in relations between Israel and several Arab states. The UAE subsequently opened its embassy in Israel, while Israel established an embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Since then, the two countries have developed official cooperation in areas including trade, tourism, technology, innovation and government-to-government engagement. The UAE itself describes the relationship as an established diplomatic partnership conducted through officially recognized channels.
Khalifa’s statement also reflects a broader argument that the UAE has repeatedly made regarding the nature of its relationship with Israel: that diplomatic engagement is conducted openly under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
That point is particularly significant because the UAE had earlier rejected reports in May 2026 that Netanyahu had secretly visited the country. At the time, the Emirati government stated that its relationship with Israel was public and that claims concerning undisclosed visits or arrangements should not be treated as official unless confirmed by the relevant UAE authorities.
The latest visit, however, was subsequently confirmed by the UAE, removing the uncertainty surrounding the reported meeting.
The visit also comes amid renewed scrutiny of the relationship following reports concerning events surrounding Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Those reports and the competing claims surrounding them remain disputed, with Netanyahu rejecting allegations that he received prior warning of the attack from the UAE leadership.
Against that backdrop, Khalifa’s message appears intended to emphasize that Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic relationship with Israel is a matter of official foreign policy rather than a clandestine arrangement.
His declaration — “We don’t sneak around” — therefore carries a broader message about the UAE’s approach to international diplomacy: its engagement with Israel is public, institutional and rooted in a formal diplomatic agreement.
The statement is likely to continue generating debate across the region, particularly as Israel’s relations with Arab states remain a highly sensitive subject amid continuing regional conflicts and diplomatic tensions.
For the UAE, however, the official position remains clear: its diplomatic relationship with Israel was established through the Abraham Accords, and communication between the two governments continues through recognized diplomatic channels.
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