Dermer, one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants and a central figure in Israel’s relations with the US and the Gulf states, said he would have known had such a call taken place.

Netanyahu’s office calls the report by the newspaper “an absolute lie” and denies that he spoke to the Emirati leader at the time.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced strong backlash from opposition leaders on Tuesday after a report published by Haaretz newspaper said UAE President Mohamed bin…