Netanyahu cancels UAE trip amid wife’s hospitalisation and row with Jordan
It was planned to be his first official visit since diplomatic relations were established with the United Arab Emirates
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned trip to the United Arab Emirates was cancelled at the last minute amid a diplomatic row with Jordan and his wife’s sudden hospitalisation.
The Israeli prime minister was due to make the official visit, a single-day trip and his first to the UAE since diplomatic relations were established last year, on Thursday.
He was planning to meet Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in Dubai.
But Jordan refused to clear his aircraft’s flight path amid a separate row over its own crown prince’s planned visit to the Temple Mount.
And late on Wednesday his wife Sara was admitted to hospital with appendicitis and is expected to remain there for a few days.
Netanyahu’s trip was due to take place ten days before the Israeli general election. It had already been delayed several times because of coronavirus restrictions.
The Jordan crown prince Hussein bin Abdullah’s planned visit to the Old City of Jerusalem was cancelled on Wednesday over a disagreement with Israeli authorities about his security detail, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
