Netanyahu intervened to stop FM's trip to the Emirates: report
Israeli PM 'didn't want Ashkenazi to travel there before he does,' state officials say
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thwarted Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because he wanted to make the trip first, outlet N12 reported on Sunday.
Ashkenazi was slated to travel Monday to inaugurate the Israeli diplomatic offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi following the historic peace treaty signed by the two Middle East nations.
But sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told N12 that the premier “did not want the foreign minister to travel there before he does.”
Netanyahu was scheduled to visit the Emirates on Thursday, but his flight was cancelled at the last minute, officially, due to logistical issues with Jordan.
Amman later has admitted that it held up granting the Israeli premier access to its airspace over a diplomatic row involving Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Earlier in the day, Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported that Netanyahu ordered the closing of the airspace between Israel and Jordan without consulting with any security official.
The rare move, which, according to Maariv violates the Israel-Jordan peace agreement, was labelled as “madness” by unnamed security officials and was called off after two hours and a half.