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Israel and UAE discuss anti-Iran cooperation at secret White House meeting

The White House hosted a secret trilateral meeting in December between the U.S., Israel and the UAE on coordination against Iran, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The meeting, which took place on Dec. 17, is one in a series of steps from the Trump administration to facilitate closer ties between Israel and the Arab states. It included discussion of a UAE-Israel nonaggression pact — an interim step on the way to diplomatic normalization.

  • Jared Kushner has been a key proponent of this initiative within the White House.

In the room: The December meeting included national security adviser Robert O’Brien and his deputy, Victoria Coates, as well as special envoy for Iran Brian Hook.

  • The Israeli team was led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat.
  • The UAE was represented by its ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba, a very close adviser to the UAE’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

Israeli and U.S. officials said the secret meeting explained an unusual tweet from UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on Dec. 21.

Read More: Axios