The landmark Dec. 13 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the United Arab Emirates was a clear success. Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan offered his Israeli guest a hearty and respectful welcome and the two spent significant time together, most of it one-on-one.

There was, however, an elephant in the room. Bennett’s visit followed a week of meetings in Tehran by Emirati national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other top Iranian officials.

With the recent rapprochement efforts by the UAE and other Sunni Arab states, the Saudi-led Arab coalition against Iran is fraying. The UAE, a key player, seems to have opened the playing field. A series of commercial and trade agreements between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have made it clear that things have changed.

The UAE is doing some sophisticated maneuvering between Jerusalem, Tehran, Riyadh and Washington. “They are running through the drops without getting wet,” an Israeli source who took part in the visit told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “They are doing so with expertise and skill, and the strangest thing is that no one is mad at them. We know about their relations with the Iranians, who know about their relations with us, and everyone accepts it.”