Saudi Arabia denies representatives attended Netanyahu-UAE meeting

What happened

• Saudi Arabia publicly rejected reports that its representatives had taken part in a meeting in Abu Dhabi between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.Israel National News
• The denial came as Gulf states weighed their words over a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after what was described as an attempt by a pilot to seize control of the plane.Israel Hayomjpost.com
• A Gulf diplomatic source told Israel Hayom that the Israeli passengers were safe in Saudi Arabia and would be brought back soon, and that investigators were examining all possibilities, including scrutiny of the airline's non-Emirati pilots.Israel Hayom
• In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid said nothing resembling the plane incident had come up in the security briefing he received from Netanyahu the previous evening, and accused the prime minister's circle of lying and of exploiting the episode.The Times of IsraelArutz Shevajpost.comArutz Sheva
• Netanyahu's associates responded that Lapid had in fact been told of an unusually sharp rise in terror threats worldwide, a claim Lapid rejected as referring to a years-old, unrelated warning, according to Maariv.Maariv

Why it matters

The denial and the careful Gulf language point to how sensitive Israel's contacts with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi remain, while the incident immediately fed an Israeli election-season fight over who knew what about security warnings.Israel National NewsIsrael HayomMaariv