Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United Arab Emirates has officially been cancelled because Jordan did not approve the flight path over its territory in time, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Thursday afternoon.
Arutz 7 reports on a statement by the PMO that the visit “was postponed due to difficulties in coordinating his flight in Jordanian airspace. These difficulties apparently stemmed from the cancellation of the Jordanian Crown Prince’s visit to the Temple Mount due to a disagreement over security procedures at the site.”
“Jordan recently announced that it would allow the prime minister’s flight to use Jordanian airspace but since the announcement was received late, the prime minister and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed agreed to coordinate on another date for the prime minister’s visit,” the statement added.
A new date for the visit has not been set.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Netanyahu would fly to Abu Dhabi Thursday, marking the first time an Israeli premier has visited the United Arab Emirates.
During his visit to the UAE, Netanyahu was slated to meet with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Kan News reported Wednesday that Netanyahu may have been planning to meet with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s wife Sara was hospitalized Wednesday evening with appendicitis. According to officials, this had nothing to do with the decision to delay the prime minister’s visit to Abu Dhabi.
