Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flash visit to the United Arab Emirates, scheduled for today (Thursday), has been canceled, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Netanyahu’s office said that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to visit the United Arab Emirates today but due to difficulties in coordinating his flight in Jordan’s airspace, the visit was postponed. These difficulties were probably due to the cancellation of the Jordanian regent’s visit to the Temple Mount.”
Meanwhile, the Jordanian authorities have confirmed that the kingdom’s regent has canceled his visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to prevent Israel from imposing difficulties on his first visit to the holy sites in the city. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi confirmed that disputes over security arrangements at the site had led to the cancellation of the visit.
“In the last hour,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, “Jordan has announced that it will allow the Prime Minister to fly in the skies of Jordan, but since the announcement was made late, it was agreed by the Prime Minister and heir to the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayd.” Prime Minister”.
In the morning, a senior Israeli official told Walla! The visit is expected to be canceled following the hospitalization of the prime minister’s wife, Sarah Netanyahu, at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. On the other hand, an emirate source later told the Jerusalem Post that the visit to the emirates would take place as planned, despite Sarah Netanyahu’s hospitalization.
As you may recall, Sarah Netanyahu did not feel well and came for an examination at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. She was diagnosed this morning with inflammation in their appendix and will therefore remain in hospital for several days. In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied her throughout the tests.
A political source said earlier that the reason for postponing the visit is different: the prime minister’s departure for a visit to the Emirates is delayed due to the Jordanians’ non-approval of the flight path by this time. It is estimated that this delay, which was discovered only in the vicinity of the flight, is due to the cancellation of the Jordanian regent’s visit to the Temple Mount yesterday, which resulted from disagreements over security and security arrangements.
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Defense Minister Bnei Gantz sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writing on his Twitter account that “Jordan is a strategic partner of Israel, our security and political relations are a cornerstone of our national security concept. I would like to emphasize that Israel is committed to agreements between us and the Jordanians. “Unfortunately, in his conduct in recent years, Netanyahu has severely damaged relations with Jordan, which has led to the loss of significant assets for the State of Israel.”
Jordan is Israel’s strategic partner, and our security and political relations are a cornerstone of our national security concept. I would like to emphasize that Israel is committed to the agreements between us and the Jordanians, and has great respect for the Jordanian government and King Abdullah.
Unfortunately, in his conduct in recent years, Netanyahu has severely damaged relations with Jordan.– Benny Gantz – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) March 11, 2021
Former MK Ksenia Svetlova, director of the Israel-Middle East Program at the Mitvim Institute, commented on an incident between Israel and Jordan. “Why does Israel continue to spit into the well from which it drinks? Relations with Jordan are critical and strategic to the security of the State of Israel and Netanyahu’s demonstrated disregard for the royal family and the future of relations with it could cost us dearly. The current crisis “It’s time to dump her and move on.”
Dr. Roy Kibrick, director of research at the Mitvim Institute, also addressed the issue and blamed the prime minister for the crisis. “Netanyahu, who is careful to describe himself as Israel’s foreign relations champion, has led to such a deep crisis with Jordan that the king and his representatives are unwilling to hear from him. Foreign Minister Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ganz have tried to restore relations with Jordan in recent months, but canceled his planned visit. Of the Jordanian heir to the throne, Hussein bin Abdullah, in Jerusalem, has re-flooded the crisis in relations. “
“It is not surprising that the Jordanians are making life difficult for Netanyahu. This is just another small testament to the fact that although Netanyahu presents himself as ‘Mr. Foreign Relations’, he also has so many failures in this arena – the destruction of bipartisan support in the US, the strengthening of Hamas. “The account of the moderate elements in the Palestinian arena, the strengthening of the antisemitic and racist elements in Europe at the expense of liberal democracies, and, yes, the destruction of relations and trust with Jordan,” said Dr. Kibrick.