The UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, in his recent visit to Israel, reportedly expressed concerns to opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu about the possibility of ultra-right extremists in the new government if the latter emerges victorious. At least three sources briefed on the meeting between the two leaders confirmed the Emirati FM's concern in the matter, according to Axios.
Abdullah bin Zayed visited Tel Aviv last month and met the former Israeli Prime Minister. Their meeting came shortly after the two-year anniversary of signing the US-led Abraham Accords, which was the highlight of Netanyahu's tenure as the PM. If the latest report holds any water, Abdullah bin Zayed's concerns come from Netanyahu's dependence on two radical right-wing politicians to form a majority.
Netanyahu needs to win a 61-seat majority in the Knesset to form a coalition that could pass laws and take steps to stop his corruption trial. For that reason, Netanyahu united Jewish supremacist parties ahead of November's election as he held separate meetings with the leaders of the Religious Zionism party and the Jewish Power party in August.
What is UAE's concern?
If Netanyahu wins, the extreme right would gain an unprecedented rise in power. Jewish Power party leader Itamar Ben Gvir and his political partner, Bezalel Smotrich, would hold two prominent positions in the government as the minister of internal security and defense minister, respectively. The UAE minister reportedly expressed his concerns to Netanyahu about the politicians with their radical right extremist views, particularly referring to Ben Gvir, the report said. The UAE FM reportedly signaled the inclusion of such radical right-wing politicians in the cabinet could influence the bilateral relationship.
