ALBAWABA - A planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates was put off.
Netanyahu postpones trip to UAE after Ben-Gvir Temple Mount visit - report: Netanyahu was supposed to fly to Abu Dhabi next week in his official capacity as prime minister. https://t.co/GFJ6l0HmSK JPost pic.twitter.com/vhwTISQntp
— Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) January 3, 2023
The visit, the first for Netanyahu since he became prime minister last week, was expected to take place as early as next week. But the entry of Israel's extreme-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir into the Al Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday derailed the trip.
Netanyahu postpones trip to UAE after Ben-Gvir Temple Mount visit - report https://t.co/o4JO1o88qS
— Suat Kılıçtaş (@Suatklcts) January 3, 2023
Ben-Gvir is the new security minister in Netanyahu's Cabinet. His tour of Al Aqsa was widely seen as provocative to the world's 1 billion Muslims. It was condemned by Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E..
The Emirates issued a strongly-worded statement against his tour of Al Aqsa, calling it a “serious and provocative violation.”
Waqf guards told AFP that Ben-Gvir was accompanied by units of the Israeli security forces, while a drone hovered overhead in the holy site.
