JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing a diplomatic disagreement with Jordan, in an embarrassing setback to his reelection campaign just days before the vote.
Netanyahu had hoped to use the public with the UAE Crown Prince – their first public gathering since the countries had ties last September – to boost his campaign ahead of the March 23 elections. Instead, he must explain to the public why his trip was called off and limit the damage to protect Israel’s fragile relationship with the Jordanians.
Netanyahu’s office said it had problems coordinating the flight over Jordanian airspace after the Jordanian Crown Prince canceled a visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a sensitive holy site under Jordanian rule over disagreements over security arrangements.
At a press conference, Netanyahu said there was a misunderstanding. By the time it was resolved, he said it was too late to fly.
“I can fly through Jordan’s air,” he said. “Until it was coordinated, today’s visit was not possible.”
He said he had spoken by phone with UAE Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and they agreed that he would visit “very soon.” He also said the emirates had informed him of plans to invest $ 10 billion in Israel.
There was no immediate response from the UAE.
With Israel trapped in its fourth election campaign in two years, Netanyahu is trying to re-portray himself as a veteran statesman uniquely qualified to lead the country through its many diplomatic and security challenges.
A key pillar of that strategy, Netanyahu’s close ties to former President Donald Trump, is no longer relevant now that a new administration is in the White House. But Netanyahu continues to point to the agreements Israel is forging ties with the UAE and three other Arab countries, all brokered by Trump, as one of his proudest achievements.
However, those agreements have come at the expense of the Palestinians and neighboring Jordan, which became the second Arab country after Egypt to achieve peace with Israel in 1994.
The immediate cause of this week’s dispute stemmed from Jordan’s role as custodian of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. It is also the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount, and has long been a focal point for Middle Eastern tensions.
Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II planned to visit the mosque to pray on the Muslim holiday that marked the Prophet Muhammad’s ascension from the site. But he returned to the border over a disagreement with Israeli authorities over the number of armed escorts that could accompany him, Israeli media reported.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of changing agreed arrangements “at the last minute” and forcing the Crown Prince to cancel the visit.
“His Highness decided he did not want to disturb this peaceful night of prayer,” Safadi said at a summit in Paris. “We cannot accept Israeli interference in Al-Aqsa’s affairs.”
Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, said the feud reflected a deeper deterioration in relations in recent years.
“The main problem is that there is no dialogue between the number 1s in Jordan and Israel, that is, between the Prime Minister and the King of Jordan,” he said.
That lack of confidence was underscored by Israel’s plans last year to annex parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel has suspended the annexation plan as part of its agreement to establish ties with the UAE, but Eran said the Jordanians remain highly suspicious.
Jordan, home to a large Palestinian population, sees the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the adjacent West Bank as a major concern, and any Israeli annexation would likely destroy any remaining hope for Palestinian independence. Israel and the Palestinians have not conducted substantial peace talks for more than a decade.
“They need at the very least a political process and movement toward a solution,” said Eran, now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank. “The process itself is very important to the Jordanians and if it isn’t there, there are certainly concerns.”
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu’s office announced that his wife, Sara, had been hospitalized with an appendicitis infection. It said she would stay in the hospital for several days.
The canceled trip and medical emergency seemed to create unwanted distractions for Netanyahu’s campaign, at least for today. The Israeli leader has focused his campaign on his successful attempts to vaccinate the Israeli public against the coronavirus.
In just over two months, Israel vaccinated about 80% of its adult population, allowing authorities to reopen schools, shops, restaurants and museums just before election day.
Still, polls continue to show that Netanyahu is in an exciting race against a busy field of challengers. According to the projections, Netanyahu’s Likud is expected to emerge as the largest party, but without enough support from allies to form a ruling majority coalition.
The trip to the UAE could have revived the campaign. It could also help to divert attention from Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial, scheduled to resume on April 5, and public anger over the economic damage caused by repeated blockages from the coronavirus over the past year.
Gideon Rahat, a political scientist at Hebrew University and a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, said Netanyahu suffered a setback on Thursday but still had time to keep the agenda in check and straighten things out.
For example, Netanyahu could still find a way to visit the UAE before the election, Rahat said. And the vaccination campaign could help him more as the economy comes back to life.
At the end of Thursday, Netanyahu received the leaders of Hungary and the Czech Republic for talks about working together on their coronavirus strategies.
The Czech Republic also opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, providing rare support for Israel’s claims about the disputed city. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to be the capital of their future state. Most countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv because of the dispute.
“You can call it a bad day for Netanyahu, but no more than that,” said Rahat.