The statement by Gargash, who stepped down last month, was exceptionally frank for someone close to the decision-making process in Abu Dhabi.
Netanyahu denied that a trip was planned for this week, telling Radio Galey Israel: “I am not going to Abu Dhabi before the elections. It’s rotation. I don’t know who spread it. “
However, Emirati sources told The Jerusalem Post the opposite on Tuesday, and Netanyahu’s schedule was released from political events on Thursday. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Likud campaign did not deny reports that the Prime Minister was planning such a trip, although they have not confirmed it either.
Netanyahu had already postponed four planned visits to the United Arab Emirates since the Gulf state announced peace with Israel in August. Two postponements were due to COVID-19 blocks and one was because Bin Zayed had a scheduling conflict.
The planned trip to the UAE last week was canceled after Jordan blocked Netanyahu’s flight in retaliation for an incident in which Jordan’s crown prince Hussein canceled a visit to Temple Mount after trying to go with a group armed guards, contrary to previous agreements with Israel.
Netanyahu then ordered that Jordanian flights not be allowed in Israeli airspace. Within several hours, before any Jordanian flight was actually blocked, Jordan agreed to allow Netanyahu to fly over, but then Netanyahu postponed his trip.
The UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Sultan Al Jaber, also distanced himself from Netanyahu’s political messages.
After Netanyahu’s trip to the United Arab Emirates was canceled last week, Abu Dhabi announced that he would establish a $ 10 billion government and private sector fund to invest in “energy, manufacturing, water, space, health and agribusiness. Israeli technology …[and] development initiatives to promote regional economic cooperation between the two countries. “
Netanyahu has repeatedly referred to investment in the past few days, saying it is an expression of Bin Zayed’s confidence in the prime minister’s economic policies.
In response to questions about the planned investment, Jaber told the UAE news website The National that the fund is “commercially oriented and not politically associated”.
Jaber added that “we are still in the early days” and that his ministry is studying Israeli investment laws.
Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he expects Israel to make peace with four more countries in the region.
“I brought four peace deals,” said Netanyahu in an interview with Ynet. “There are four more on the way. I talked about one of them yesterday. “
Netanyahu said he received a call from “one of the region’s leaders” on Monday night, and they spoke for 45 minutes.