Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz. Credit: Olaf Kosinsky via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Yuval Steinitz—Israel’s minister of national infrastructure, energy and water resources—on Monday returned from a secret visit to Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

Israel’s Channel 2 reported that Steinitz, Netanyahu’s point man on the Iran nuclear program, made the visit under “heavy security” to “share concerns” with Arab Gulf leaders and other Sunni Arab states.

The secret meeting coincided with an energy conference in Abu Dhabi that also included Iranian officials.

In a sign of warming ties between Israel and the Arab Gulf states, Israel in November announced plans to open a diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi as part of the United Nations International Renewable Energy Agency.