Netanyahu pressured, Ben Gvir did not fold: The confrontation that reached Abu Dhabi | First publication

Behind the scenes of the inauguration of a maternity ward at Al-Maqasad Hospital in East Jerusalem, an unusual political-diplomatic drama unfolded last week. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir refused to allow the participation of senior Palestinian Authority officials in the event, the Prime Minister's Office exerted pressure due to fears of an incident with the UAE, and subsequently, a senior official from the Emirati embassy called Ben Gvir. At the end of the contacts, the inauguration took place as planned — but without PA representatives.

According to details that reached us, Ben Gvir, at the request of the police and against the backdrop of intelligence from the Shin Bet, signed an order prohibiting the event from being held in the planned format, due to the intention that senior officials from the Palestinian Authority would also participate in the inauguration of the maternity ward. Ben Gvir, who holds the relevant signing authority, made it clear that he would not allow the event to take place as long as PA personnel were scheduled to participate.

A source familiar with the details said that the participation of senior PA officials was very important to the event organizers. After the order was signed, the Prime Minister's Office intervened. According to the informed sources, Netanyahu's office called senior police officers and asked them to allow the event to take place anyway, in light of the expected participation of senior diplomats from the UAE, including the Emirati ambassador to Israel.

In the PMO, they feared that a crisis surrounding the event would create an unnecessary incident with Abu Dhabi. One of the scenarios that troubled them was a situation where police on the ground would be required to separate PA personnel from Emirati diplomats, which could have ended in a mistake and problematic images. Another possibility was that the police would be forced to forcibly remove all those present.

According to a source familiar with the details, the message from the PMO was that the event should be allowed and that stopping it would "cause unnecessary and undesirable mess with the UAE." The pressure did not change Ben Gvir's position. "Ben Gvir continued to insist, he was not interested," the source described.

Ben Gvir notified the police that if PA representatives participated, the event would not take place. The police conveyed the message to the hospital along the same lines: there are PA personnel — there is no event.

Ben Gvir's insistence led to another appeal, this time from the UAE embassy. A senior official from the embassy contacted the minister's office in an attempt to bring about the event's holding. He spoke first with the office staff, and subsequently, the call was transferred to Ben Gvir himself.

According to sources in Ben Gvir's circle, the person who spoke with the minister was the Emirati ambassador's senior advisor. The advisor asked him to allow the event to take place. Ben Gvir demanded in response a commitment that Palestinian Authority personnel would not be at the site, and according to the sources, the advisor gave the commitment.

The source familiar with the details described "great pressure" and "a really big drama" surrounding the event. According to him, Ben Gvir continued to stand by his demand. He described the minister as someone who "stood his ground" and made it clear to the Emiratis that the event could not take place as long as PA personnel were scheduled to participate.

In the end, the inauguration took place at Al-Maqasad Hospital without representation from the Palestinian Authority. Emirati diplomats arrived at the event; the PA personnel who were invited were told that their invitation was cancelled, and they did not participate.

According to estimates, the appeal from the PMO came following Emirati pressure on Netanyahu or his circle. "Netanyahu's office called on the Prime Minister's order," he said. According to him, Netanyahu knew about the move and his office staff acted after pressure was exerted from the Emirati side.

From Minister Ben Gvir's circle, it was stated: "Terrorists from the PLO have no place in Jerusalem." According to them, the affair proves that it is possible to "demonstrate sovereignty, governance, and strength — without harming relations with countries that are friendly to us."