A political storm has erupted in Israel following a visit by Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid to the United Arab Emirates, with reports revealing that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office made unsuccessful attempts to prevent the trip.
According to a report Sunday on Kan News, Netanyahu’s aides sought to pressure Emirati officials into canceling the diplomatic visit, conveying sharply worded messages to Abu Dhabi. Sources say Netanyahu’s office informed UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) that meeting with Lapid would be considered interference in Israel’s internal politics.
Despite the warnings, Emirati leaders went ahead with the meeting, disregarding the Israeli government’s objections. Lapid’s visit proceeded as scheduled, making him the first senior Israeli politician to visit the UAE—one of the first countries to sign the Abraham Accords—since the war in Gaza began, and notably before Netanyahu himself has made such a visit since the historic normalization agreement was signed.
The failed attempt to block the visit has added to growing tension within Israeli political circles. Notably, while numerous Israeli public figures have received and accepted invitations to the UAE during wartime, Netanyahu remains conspicuously absent from the list of visiting officials. Among those who have traveled to the UAE in recent months are former MK Yair Golan, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (a close Netanyahu ally), Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri.
Lapid’s trip is being seen not only as a diplomatic win for the opposition leader but also as a political embarrassment for Netanyahu, whose own delayed visit continues to raise eyebrows in both Israel and the region.
Makes total sense. In the US the Logan Act would make a visit like Lapid’s such treason that it can even result in the death penalty.