In a discreet weekend trip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Two sources briefed on the visit confirmed the meeting took place on Sunday. Netanyahu asked the Emirati leader to publicly deny a recent Haaretz report that claimed the UAE had warned Israel of an imminent Hamas assault ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
Netanyahu’s office had already rejected the Haaretz story, and the UAE’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment, noting it maintains “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shares “all relevant intelligence.” The meeting was reported first by Israel’s Channel 12 and confirmed by anonymous officials familiar with the trip.
EU seeks observer status in Saudi maritime coalition
Separately, the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced that the bloc is applying for observer status in a Saudi‑led maritime defense coalition created to protect Saudi Arabia’s energy exports. The coalition, formed by Saudi Arabia, aims to safeguard shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Bab el‑Mandeb strait from attacks by Iran‑backed Houthi rebels.
The EU already has six vessels deployed under its own Red Sea naval force, ASPIDES, tasked with escorting cargo ships. Kallas said she will ask defense and foreign affairs ministers in Brussels to expand the EU’s naval presence, arguing the need for protection is “bigger than it’s ever been.”
It remains unclear what practical role observer status would give the EU within the Saudi coalition, but the move signals a desire for greater coordination on maritime security amid rising regional tensions.
Diplomatic frictions with Spain and the Netherlands
Israel also summoned the Spanish Embassy’s chargé d’affaires after Spain’s youth minister, Sira Rego, called for a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” a slogan interpreted as calling for the elimination of Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry labeled the remarks part of a “systematic anti‑Israel policy” and noted Rego’s refusal to condemn the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Rego was barred from entering Israel in September 2025.
In the Netherlands, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen expressed regret after Israel expelled Dutch diplomats from Ramallah. The expulsion was a response to a Dutch ban on the import, purchase, and sale of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a measure the Netherlands says complies with international law prohibiting support for illegal settlements.
These diplomatic rows illustrate the complex web of alliances and disputes shaping the Middle East and Europe’s involvement in regional security.
As the situation evolves, the United States continues to monitor these developments closely, given their implications for American interests and the broader fight against terrorism and instability in the region.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
