Following the formal announcement of relations between Israel and the UAE, it has been revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Mossad paid a secret visit to the UAE in 2018 and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
Israeli website Ynet quoted a report in the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as saying that Netanyahu was accompanied by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen on his 2018 visit to the United Arab Emirates.
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The report claims that the head of Mossad arranged the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.
Citing diplomatic sources, the report said the meeting was a success and the two sides maintained close ties since then.
Ben Shabat, an adviser to the Israeli National Security Council, met with UAE and US officials in Washington in 2019, the report said.
According to the news Israeli Ambassador to the United States also participated in the talks between UAE and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment, but said in a statement that details of his meetings with Arab leaders were yet to be released.
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"I have met with many leaders in the UAE and in the Muslim world, there are a lot of things I can't say but I'm sure they will come at the right time," he said.
Netanyahu, referring to meetings with Arab leaders, said the melting ice could be seen in recent years.
Asked about the sale of US F-35s to the United Arab Emirates, he said the United States was committed to maintaining Israel's supremacy and would speak to US President Donald Trump.
It may be recalled that on August 13, the UAE announced the establishment of friendly relations with Israel and yesterday, the Israeli and US delegations arrived in the UAE for the first time on an Israeli commercial flight.
Before the formal start of the talks, the US and Israeli delegations reached Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, via a commercial flight from Tel Aviv via Saudi territory, setting a new chapter in the history of aviation.
The Israeli Airlines LL plane, flying from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi, was equipped with a system to detect and defuse surface-to-air missiles.
The plane was led by Jared Kishner, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump and son-in-law, and Robert O'Brien, national security adviser, while the Israeli delegation was led by O'Brien's counterpart Mir Ben Shabat.
Speaking to reporters at the airport before boarding the plane, Jared Kishner said, "I prayed yesterday on the Western Wall (a place of worship for Jews) that Muslims and Arabs, all over the world, They will see, they will forget the past and move on.
On the other hand, Benjamin Netanyahu had said that in addition to the US-mediated agreement with the United Arab Emirates, secret talks are underway with several Arab states to establish relations with Israel.
He said secret meetings were being held with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalize relations with the Israeli state.
