Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2018 and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Yediot Acharanot reported on Tuesday.

The report said that the meeting took place in a “good atmosphere” and that Israeli and Emirati officials have stayed in contact since then. Mossad head Yossi Cohen facilitated the visit and was present at the meeting.

As part of the ongoing contact since Netanyahu’s meeting, National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat met with US and Emirati representatives in Washington about a year later.

The Prime Minister’s Office refused to comment on the report. However, Netanyahu alluded to “clandestine meetings’ with Muslim leaders in a press briefing on Monday.

“I meet with many, many leaders in the Arab and Muslim world, more than what you think,” Netanyahu said. “There are still many things that I can’t tell you but I believe it will be revealed eventually. You can see the tip of the iceberg for yourselves in recent years.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)