The Saudi newspaper Elaf claims that the UAE regent did not come to Washington after Netanyahu declared that the application of sovereignty had not been dropped
Abu Dhabi's heir to the throne, Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahian // Photo: AFP
The absence of Abu Dhabi's heir, Muhammad bin Zayed al - Nahian, from the signing ceremony of the "Abraham" agreement in the White House this week has raised many questions.
But according to a report in the Saudi newspaper Elaf, which is based in London, the reason is actually related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is only postponed at this stage and has not been dropped.
A senior Israeli source told the Saudi newspaper that two days after US President Donald Trump's statement on the "Abraham Agreement", the emirate's heir summoned Mossad chief Yossi Cohen.
According to the report, the United Arab Emirates expressed disgust and bewilderment at Netanyahu's statements regarding the postponement of the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria without abolishing it altogether.
The senior source in Israel also noted that the claim that the United Arab Emirates asked Netanyahu not to share Defense Minister Bnei Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in the talks is incorrect.
This is because the federation did not interfere in the internal affairs of the government and the coalition in Israel.
The source added that Ben-Zayed also responded to Netanyahu's public opposition to supplying F-35s to the UAE, which was in conflict with the prime minister's previous commitments, which were passed through the Mossad chief himself during the talks.
According to the Saudi report, the United Arab Emirates expressed an expectation from Israel to meet all oral and written commitments, whether transferred through Netanyahu himself or through an emissary or from the American mediator.
Ben-Zayed, for his part, emphasized at the time that he would talk to President Trump on the issue, and would not attend the signing ceremony of the agreement.
At the same time, sources in Washington told ILAF that Foreign Minister Abdullah Ben-Zayed's public gratitude to Netanyahu for stopping the annexation, and his remarks on the commitment to the agreements with the Palestinians, came to confirm Israel's commitment to the United Arab Emirates.
According to the report, the gesture was intended to put Netanyahu in his place so that he would not waive his obligations in the future after the ceremony.
Against this background, sources in the Gulf emphasized in a conversation with the Saudi newspaper that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain express seriousness regarding the normalization of relations with Israel.
According to the report, all that is left for Israel is to abide by the agreements completely and in the process return to the negotiating table with the Palestinians.
As you may recall, Ariel Kahana published on Friday morning in "Israel Today" that Netanyahu estimates in closed talks that the Palestinians will return to talks after the elections in the United States.
A senior Israeli security source was also quoted in the Elaf newspaper as saying that Saudi Arabia's approval to transfer Israeli civilian flights over it is not free, as the Arab kingdom is in the process of obtaining advanced aircraft from the United States in addition to the world's most advanced air defense systems.