A Jordanian Source Denies Claims About "Participation in a Meeting with Netanyahu in the UAE"

- A Jordanian source denied, according to what was published by the Jordanian channel "Al-Mamlaka" on Tuesday, the validity of claims that "Israeli media promoted regarding the participation of a representative from his country in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the UAE." The source emphasized the "falsehood of these claims made by Israeli media close to Netanyahu for electoral purposes and following the international isolation faced by Netanyahu during his participation in United Nations meetings," according to "Al-Mamlaka."

The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Monday that the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received the Israeli Prime Minister, who visited the UAE on Sunday. The agency clarified that the two sides discussed during their meeting "the bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to enhance and develop them."

For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister's office stated that the meeting focused on "strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges," adding that the visit included Netanyahu's wife, the head of the National Security Council, the head of the Mossad, the military secretary, and a political advisor. An Israeli source familiar with the visit explained to the Afaq News network on Sunday that Netanyahu visited the UAE and discussed with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed "the issue of Iran, which dominated the agenda."

This rare visit comes a month before the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, against the backdrop of rising political controversy in Israel regarding reports published by the newspapers "Haaretz" and "The New York Times," claiming that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu of a major operation by Hamas days before the October 7, 2023 attack. Netanyahu's office has repeatedly denied receiving any warning, describing these reports as "fabricated lies aimed at harming him electorally," but his opponents have exploited these claims to make accountability for the failure to prevent the October 7 attack a central issue in the election campaign.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced earlier this month that it "does not comment on media reports or speculation regarding discussions between government leaders." The Likud party, led by Netanyahu, later issued a statement published on the Prime Minister's account on the "X" platform, claiming that there was "blatant foreign interference" in the Israeli elections by Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan.

The party did not provide any evidence to support this claim. At the same time, Netanyahu's opponents took advantage of this warning to renew their attacks on his handling of the events leading up to the October 7 attack.