Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday’s summit on ending the Gaza war in Egypt, his office said, after Cairo had earlier announced he would take part, a prospect that could have been awkward for some confirmed guests.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said he had been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to participate in the meeting of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh but declined “due to the timing’s proximity to the beginning of (a Jewish) holiday.”
“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation and for his efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength,” the statement said.
An Egyptian presidential spokesperson earlier said both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu were expected to join the summit “to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to it.”
The spokesperson also said Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi while they were in Israel on Monday.
A Turkish official told Reuters that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, with the support of some other unspecified leaders, pushed back diplomatically against the idea of Netanyahu attending. Netanyahu’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the issue.
Turkey has harshly criticised Israel’s operations in Gaza in the last two years, but took part in negotiations in recent weeks over Trump’s plan to end the war. Erdogan arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier on Monday.
(Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy, Jana Choukeir, Ahmed Elimam, Alexander Cornwell and Jonathan Spicer; Writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Alison Williams and Ros Russell)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.