politics
Netanyahu Interview Reveals Disclosed UAE Meeting Denied by Emirati Officials
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a one-hour-20-minute interview to CBS's 60 Minutes that was broadcast on Sunday. His office later released a statement saying he had secretly visited the United Arab Emirates on March 26 and met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
May 15, 3:00 PM·3m read1 source
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The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the location was used to film an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that aired the following night. Netanyahu rarely grants major broadcast interviews. The interview, conducted by Major Garrett, was Netanyahu's first major U.S. broadcast appearance since February 28.
It came 60 days after his only Hebrew-language press conference since the start of the latest war with Iran, which was conducted by Zoom and limited to eight questions. The full 60 Minutes interview ran one hour and 20 minutes and covered topics including security failures before the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the future of conflict with Iran.
Two days after the broadcast, Netanyahu's office released a statement saying that during the war he had secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The statement described the visit as having led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE.
The UAE foreign ministry responded within hours. "The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements," the Emirati foreign ministry said.
It added that media outlets should exercise accuracy and refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives. The response constituted a direct public rebuttal of an official statement by another government. Israeli officials subsequently briefed local media that the meeting occurred at Al-Ain, an oasis city near the Oman border, on March 26 and lasted several hours.
