Netanyahu associates reportedly tell UAE officials hosting Lapid was ‘political interference’

Associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Emirati officials they view Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s visit to Abu Dhabi and his meeting with the UAE’s president as “political interference,” the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Lapid yesterday conducted the visit, meeting UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Netanyahu associates told Emitati officials that, “it can not be that you invite the opposition head for a meeting before you invite the head of a country.”

“Especially after the attack on Iran and the prime minister’s decision, we expected a different course of action. Apparently, fear of Iran outweighs good judgment,” the associates added.

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.

עם חברי, שר החוץ האמירותי השייח׳ עבדאללה בן זאיד, אמש באבו דאבי. דנו בהתפתחויות באזור ובמאמצים להסכם בעזה והשבת החטופים pic.twitter.com/1GBotRXT7y

— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) July 4, 2025